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Author Topic: Story: A Test of Metal  (Read 17755 times)

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #15 on: 07. January 2021, 15:09:06 PM »
The thing I'm enjoying is Sophie's determination to make it as VP... she not only doesn't seem to mind that she will be wearing so much in her mouth, she seems to actually relish the idea of what she will get....  as long as she makes VP..... which I am sure she will!

Offline MagnetMouth

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #16 on: 07. January 2021, 21:00:43 PM »
Wow... what a story, i love how amazing your descriptive writing is! Cant wait to see what else sophies got in store for her ;D

Offline Jock1

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #17 on: 08. January 2021, 15:32:43 PM »
That is some story, I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Offline Qwertj

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #18 on: 09. January 2021, 08:16:57 AM »
Such a great story.

Offline Tin_Grin8444

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #19 on: 16. February 2021, 09:16:16 AM »
Look alive! It's

[Chapter 5]  ;D

My prayers are answered as Bella's forfeit button is rung in the face of an intimidating twin block. The crowd shows no hesitations in showering her with encouragement for her effort as she meekly exits stage left, the way she came in.

Dr. Ashley coyly commends the audience for their manners before working to rebuild tension.

"What a wonderful trial this has been! Here we are down to our final three initiates! Caitlin James, Sophia Anderson, and Alex Savoir, you've each done a wonderful job, and you've each given us an inspiring display of your strength of will, and your convictions, but only one of you can be Psi Sigma Nu's Vice President! For the rest of the trial, our selected appliances will be narrowed down to compliance variants!"

The spectators erupt. I glance to my left to see Alex's nerve finally cracking, her hand gripping the side of her podium with white knuckles.  Turning to my right I spot Caitlin glaring at the both of us, still unshaken.

Dr. Ashley continues.
"Sophia! You're up next! Here is your appliance!"

A garishly complicated tongue cage is plastered to the screens, a curved web of trays held by pistons connecting to metal bands meant for each jaw.

"pphalshh tchnn cclreeb"

"That is incorrect! Okay Alex here is your appliance!"

The color leaves Alex's face as she's met with a bright red reverse pull facemask, an intimidating metal frame with a litany of straps meant to lock around the wearer's head, not very different from the harnesses we were each still bound in. She freezes. I spot her legs shaking.

A voice from a football player cracks from the crowd like a distant firework.
"How ya gonna kiss with that thing on?"

Alex begins to sniffle, before shakily slamming her forfeit and jetting from the stage near tears. I see her being comforted by two blue polos side stage. They console her as Dr. Ashley rallies a cheer from the audience commending Alex for making it to the final three. The polos compassionately coax her out to the stage for one last wave to the crowd. Poor thing, she could've passed the facemask to Caitlin before pressing her button.

"Let's give it up for Alex! I don't know many who'd be strong enough to stand where she is! Let's hear it!"

I can see Caitlin still launching glares my direction. We both still have our passes, so it comes down to who can stomach the most appliances. She straightens herself in a strange effort to faze me. I meet her with the same composed look I've maintained since we took to the stage.

I'm not held back by social reservations. I never have been. It's easy when you don't have a social life to begin with. What can 8 years with a mess of metal in my mouth hurt?

The audience continues their applause as Caitlin meets my look with a raised eyebrow, as if she'd received a dare. We both still had our passes. Her look spoke volumes to the contempt she held, and now knowing I wouldn't be backing down, there was one last thing she could do just to spite me. 

"Caitlin! You're up! Here is you appliance!"

The hint of a smile skulks in the corner of her mouth. The screen shows an additive appliance, one designed to prevent a patient from tampering with their headgear. Vertically posed metal trays with a row of spikes facing outwards towards the lips and where the hands of a would be compliance case might wonder. It'd be considered a cruel appliance by plenty.

Caitlin turns to me, locking eyes with me as the room swells. With a smirk, eyes locked to mine, and her eyebrow still raised, she passes the appliance to me, and coyly follows with her forfeit.

The crowd explodes into shock and cheers. Dr. Ashley says something but I can hardly make it out. Uniformly, the staff and faculty calmly rise and begin making their way to the stage to congratulate me. I feel Caitlin's eyes still on me as she passes me to stage left's exit. I come to my senses and manage a smile for the audience and cameras.

Offline Tin_Grin8444

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #20 on: 16. February 2021, 10:02:12 AM »
[Chapter 6]  ;)

As the crowd started to disperse, groups of recruiters lead their initiates through different exits of the auditorium. After smiling for at least a dozen different photo sessions with members of Psi Sigma Nu's leadership, the speech inhibitor still locked into my mouth, I'm finally led to the exit stage left to join the other girls, most of whom already got their speech inhibitors removed. Dr. Ashley halts me one last time to present me to my fellow competitors as the winner. Most greet me with genuine cheers.

"Great show girls! You were all wonderful! It isn't an easy thing to do, standing up there, making the commitments you've made, but know that you've become apart of Winterville's history today. Be proud, each of you! Come let's take our commemorative photo!

Another picture.

A spry young man wearing a movie club shirt with a hulking camera directs us together along the wall in front of trophy cases bearing similar pictures. Gathered together, I realize most of the girls are taller than me, as there's no issue with having me front and center next to Dr. Ashley alongside Alex and Caitlin, both still with their inhibitors in. I grin for the final set of flashes. At long last I'm led with Alex and Caitlin to get out inhibitors removed. The same woman in glasses and surgical mask unlocks our head-harnesses and uses a pink liquid to carefully dissolve the resin enough to dislodge the trays. She then shoves her index finger and thumb past the sides of our jaws to grip the rubber and plastic anchors, bending them so they slip past our back teeth. With the appliance finally out I'm given a mouth rinse to finally be free of the speech inhibitor.

Alex, eyes still red from crying, manages to congratulate me with a mix of appreciation and sympathy. She even asks for my email to keep in touch, wanting to be friends. I obliged, only to receive a warm hug before she leaves to find her parents. How did someone so friendly end up in the trial?

Caitlin stretches her jaws still eyes me as Dr. Ashley makes her rounds to all the girls, handing out commemorative rings for participating in the trial. One of the girls jokes that we'll already be getting souvenirs for our participation. After catching Alex before she leaves the auditorium to gift her ring, Dr. Ashley runs back towards me to present me with my ring and special instructions to be at the university's orthodontic sciences building for this Saturday to receive my braces and appliances, then gives me directions to the office where I'm to be briefed on my duties as Vice President and have my class schedule rearranged.

The girls begin going their separate ways, some having made friends through the trial, and many going out of their way to congratulate me on my victory. Caitlin brushes past me as she exits through the front.

"See ya Saturday."

Dr. Ashley begins making phone calls and delegating the blue polos to disassemble the stage now that the trial's over. I walk past the group of men operating the cameras, waiting for the audience and blue polos to thin out for an easier time getting their equipment loaded up. I grab a campus map from a cubby by the auditorium's main doors, and plot my path to the sorority's office. Since the quickest way cuts through campus gardens, I decide to take a scenic route getting there. I then locate the Orthodontic sciences building, practically dead center of campus by the quad. I make a note of the time I'm meant to be there as I exit the cold, towering building.

Offline Tin_Grin8444

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #21 on: 16. February 2021, 10:25:09 AM »
Don't worry there's more to come  ;)

Stay safe! <3

Online caster72401

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #22 on: 16. February 2021, 15:29:03 PM »
Great Story. Keep up the writing!

Offline MagnetMouth

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #23 on: 18. February 2021, 01:15:12 AM »
Wow! Thankyou so much for continuing! Love your stuff  ;)  <3

Offline Tin_Grin8444

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #24 on: 18. February 2021, 11:47:34 AM »
[Chapter 7]  ;D

After a lengthy briefing on my responsibilities as Psi Sigma Nu's Vice president, a meeting with our president, Caroline Richardson was scheduled for the Monday after my installation. With a set schedule for my duties emailed to me, and my class schedule rearranged, I returned home to my apartment to see I'd also received an email from Alex. She'd taken place in the trial solely to guarantee acceptance into the sorority, but had promised her mom that she'd do her best to make it as far as she could, all without knowing what the trial actually involved. Astounding.
While the facemask and braces certainly scared her, she was willing to give them a chance, since her teeth weren't perfect. She wanted to get together Saturday before the installation so she wouldn't have to go alone, even offering to pay for lunch. I certainly wasn't used to going out for lunch with other people, let alone being the one asked to go out, so I was a little off guard and didn't quite know how to respond. I'd sat with my hands hovering above my keyboard for at least a minute or two before deciding to consult Mom.

She laughed at me.

She asks me what kind of impression I get from her.

"Well meaning." I can say with confidence.

Well aware I'm not the social butterfly she was, Mom provides step-by-step instructions on how to respond to Alex in both a friendly and appreciative way, encouraging me to take advantage of a great opportunity to make a meaningful friend. She knows this is new territory for me, and suggests I plan ahead to make things less stressful, like where we'll meet, what route we'll take to get to the Orthodontic Sciences building, where we'll go to eat, etc. She also warns me to be ready for small parts of the my plan to change, such as where we stop to eat if the destination I plan for is closed or too crowded. My solution is to have backup plans.

My reply is successfully sent and received.



Saturday arrives and after exiting the parking garage a few block from the Ortho Sci building, I find Alex at a bench near the University's quad. She's sporting a pink shirt covered in small strawberry designs stitched into the fabric with blue jeans. I feel out of place in my usual fitted skirt and sweater. A modest and professional look, it's worked well enough in most outdoor situations. I've thought about trying other styles, even experimenting with more vibrant colors. I realize the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Alex. After exchanging greetings, I compliment her ensemble and ask about how she constructs her outfits, seeing how she made it look so easy.

Her eyes were alight as she began talking my ear off about color science and ways to express mood through color and fit the whole way to the Ortho Sci building. Once there, it was a quarter to 9:00, the time I needed to be in the installation theatre, so we took the time to explore while we waited for the doors to open for us. The building was very different from the Union and it's historic auditorium, instead a modern greyish white exterior, with slanted outer walls that supported a litany of dark wooden panels held together by sheets of metal and screws creating a wide awning. The front of the building was majorly glass, facing the sunrise to let in light for a majority of the school day. Large winding paths of concrete stretch to packs of metal tables and chairs integrated to the landscaping, with a decorative slab of wood and cement commemorating the donors who funded the building, as well as the University's architecture students that designed it.

As 9:00 draws near, more of the remaining 10 girls from the trial assemble at various tables, meeting in some of the same friends groups formed at the event. Some are likely to be here for longer than others. Dr. Ashley informed me that I'd be starting my installation before the other girls, since I had the most work to be done, while others who'd only require a few appliances were set to begin after a majority had finished theirs. 

Alex nudges me as a group of women with blue polos beneath jackets open the doors to the building, allowing us to seat ourselves at the various tables in our same groups, only this time inside the building. All but two of the polos retreat further into the building, as a short stack of papers is organized by the remaining two before my name is called. Before I can go, Alex asks me to wait for her if I get out before she does, and wishes me luck.

After checking in, I'm led to the installation theatre at 9:03. It resembles a large lecture hall, well lit with ample lighting and a row of orthodontic chairs well equipped with a menagerie of tools for installation and maintenance. There are large screens on the back wall above the chairs, with camera feeds showing each of the empty chairs. I'm placed in the first chair at the left. Looking behind me I can see myself seated looking backwards, allowing me to find the camera dangling from the posable light fixture above me. The purpose for this intimate set up becomes clear as groups of regular students start to funnel into the room, each choosing scattered seats before pulling out laptops and various colors of notebooks, as if preparing to take notes. I should've expected this.

The spectacle begins with President Caroline practically startling me from behind, revealing she'll be responsible for my installation. After she's joined by an assistant in a blue polo, she starts by lowering the back of the chair to the quintessential position, before clipping a bib around my neck over my chest. She instructs me to open for her assistant to install lip separators. She then takes her time cleaning and polishing the surfaces of my teeth one by one, all the while her assistant fiddles with a large tray connected to the side of the chair with a blue rag drooping less than an inch over the edges. The smell of chemicals draws my attention back to Caroline as she continues the long process of prepping my teeth for the appliances. All the while I can see my fellow trial participants making their way past my chair to the rest on the row, all of them glancing between myself and the massive screens above me as they pass.

Finally, the soror's president begins installing my first appliance. Her assistant carefully hands her what appears to be a tongue cage with connecting pistons hooked to metal bands for each jaw, but it looks different from the one I was presented during the trial.

Caroline notices my look and explains the appliance.

"Oh! Check this out! Since you were failed two variants of tongue-taming appliances, we had our lab design a compromise that achieved the diverging functions of both appliances, while not sacrificing their common purpose. Pretty clever right?"

I had little chance to respond as she went right to inserting adhesives to all 12 of the metal rings before fitting each of them over the three back teeth of each side of my jaws. Right as she finished fitting the last ring her assistant handed her a sleek curved wand with an orange screen that was inserted to my mouth, producing a blue light to dry the resin. Once that was complete she stated I could let my tongue rest, noticing I'd kept it squarely in the back of my mouth. Upon trying to relax it I realize it's totally incased in the small cage. As I try to feel around it, the pistons flex with the cage so that it moves with my tongue, completely trapping it. There's no way around this thing.

I spot Alex walking by my chair as she waves to me with an encouraging smile on her way to her chair.

Caroline then begins with actual brackets. To no ones surprise, I can tell these are noticeably larger than the regular ones more commonly used this day and age. At least they weren't more metal bands. Once she hits each bracket with the same blue light, instead of arch wires, her assistant produces the neon green adaptive bite blocks I'd failed during the trial, and connected to them were a set of hot pink lip bumpers. No doubt another set of appliances combined to save space and manage to take up even more. I notice a set of thin edgewise archwires integrated between the bite blocks and the lip bumpers. Caroline explains that the bite blocks will be installed directly to my brackets and metal bands along with the lip bumpers. As she takes her time, I slowly feel my cheeks becoming even more full as she fastens each section to its respective position. She used a small set of pliers to twist and clip each part into its indented space. By now my mouth feels completely alien. Everything feels tight and restricted.

By now at least four girls have passed my chair walking back towards the exit, most of them now wearing very visible appliances trying to avoid eye contact with the crowd of students spectating our installations.

"We're almost done! Since you failed a set of closing elastics, we'll use those around your final year to complete your bite, so last thing for you today is your headgear!"

Here it comes.

After removing the lip spreaders, her assistant carefully hands her a set of facebows with strange mechanisms at the ends of the inner and outer bows. Caroline explains these to be the locking mechanisms that'll keep my headgear locked to my braces for the next 8 years at Winterville. She then points out a row of vertically placed metallic trays designed to keep my hands from fiddling with any of my appliances, the spaces between them only small enough for a special toothbrush provided by her assistant. She takes her time yet again sliding each bow into its intended buccal tube, before taking her small pliers and clamping each end at two points creating audible clicks. She then gently wiggles my facebows with her hands to ensure they're snuggly in place. Her assistant then presents a messy set of neon green and hot pink headgear straps to match my adaptive bite blocks and lip bumpers. Caroline has her assistant fix my hair up in high pigtails like horns to fit through the square opening of my headgear straps. Once each strap is properly attached, she clamps each section with a different set of pliers, locking them in place as well, before tightening them each to snuggly hug the back of my head and neck. I feel the arms of my glasses held even closer to the sides of my head. After presenting me with a key to unlock the straps for whenever I need to shower or fix my hair, she warns me to not attempt to fiddle with any part of my braces, since the headgear's additive is an effective compliance appliance with a flawless success rate.

With that I'm presented a orthodontic care kit and a small goodie bag as the back of my chair is raised. After laying back for so long it takes a me a second to find my footing after standing up too fast.

"I can't wait to see you Monday! Have a great rest of your weekend!"

With my lips held miles apart from each other by the ridiculous amount of hardware now cemented into my mouth, I find no trouble managing a smile for her as I start up the stairs towards the lecture hall's exit. I glance back to see Alex one giant screen away from mine, still in her chair, face as red as the strawberries on her shirt with her hands meekly together. While I think lunch might not go as Alex planned, I decide it's only right to wait for her to installation to finish.

Making my way up the stairs past cadres of murmuring students, some daring enough to take pictures, I feel a glob of drool pooling past my cheeks and meeting at my bottom lip before attempting to slink down my chin. With no napkins on hand I can only suck back the saliva loudly, turning even more heads. If keeping drool in my mouth is this much of an issue, talking's no doubt going to be a whole different ball game, and with my responsibilities as Vice president in full swing come Monday, I'm expecting I'll have quite a lisp to get accustomed to. I calmly adjust my glasses and exit the room to wait in the building's lobby. I find my seat next to one of the groups of fellow trial participants, each of whom smile and wave sympathetically with their own appliances, all paling in comparison to the severity of my own. I look to my right out the tall walls of glass to see students walking in different directions, some glued to cell phones, others stepping in beat to music in their headphones, even some professors making their way among them. Above the biology building across from Ortho Sci, I spot a clock tower showing 12:40.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #25 on: 18. February 2021, 19:47:44 PM »
I have updated TheArchive with the latest chapters.

It's an interesting story so far and I am looking forward to more of it.

Braceface2015
TheArchive2018

Online caster72401

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #26 on: 10. March 2021, 15:20:26 PM »
Love this story, anxiously waiting for more!

Offline ksmooth

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #27 on: 02. June 2021, 00:27:53 AM »
Holy cow, what an amazing story!!!  This is one of the best I've read in so many years.  Cheers!

Offline annasun251

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #28 on: 19. July 2021, 16:13:26 PM »
I can't wait to see how this continues!

Offline Tin_Grin8444

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Re: Story: A Test of Metal
« Reply #29 on: 25. November 2021, 08:09:20 AM »
Well worth the wait, it's

Chapter 8  ;D

I find no issue getting lost in the reflection of my phone, studying the drool-coated train accident now cemented into my mouth. Staring back at me, a hopeless braceface with enough hardware to put Home Depot out of business. I become entranced by the rhythm of clicks as I flex my jaws, parting and closing the two facebows of my headgear, over & over. I turn and tilt my head side to side examining the herbst mechanisms from different angles, each it's own sensation of pressure the litany of straps that wrap my head create. Even more distracting are the sensations behind my cheeks and enwrapping my tongue. Parting my jaws to the widest my herbst arms will allow, I can clearly make out the oppressive tongue cage that effortlessly follows my tongue, keeping it far away from the front of my mouth. Try as I might, I can't manage to stretch my poor tongue far enough back to make it past the cage, since the scopes that connect it to the molars of both of my jaws allow it's resting position to overtake the back of my mouth. Speech likely won't be the easiest thing with my tongue a prisoner to such an intense compliance device. I begin to wonder just what an unlucky patient would have to do to earn one of these.

12:52 arrives as I hear Alex call my name from the exit to the installation theatre. I jet from my seat at the sight of her, catching myself eagerly striding to meet her halfway. Why am I running to her? Am I scaring her? We don't know each other that well so why am I already so ready to meet up with her maybe I'm being too clingy what if she thinks-

"Hey! How're you feeling?"  :-\

Her tone shows concern and care. I hear her clearly, but I can only look up with a feigned confusion, an indication she'd need to repeat herself. I feel bad. I know I heard her, but I don't know what she said.

She angles her head to better meet my gaze to repeat her question, her expression matching her tone, a soft, compassionate concern. Instinctively darting my eyes away from hers, choosing to keep her within peripheral vision, I force a response so she doesn't think I'm being rude. I don't want her to think I'm being rude.

"...I-iim nah shorr..." I manage with a few short bursts of eye contact.

A thought softly clicks in her head as she straightens herself, hands still gripping mine. "Let's try to find something to eat, okay?"

We exit the lobby, the clock tower displaying 12:53. Alex begins by listing off potential destinations for lunch now that we're both finished with installations, offering to pay. I struggle to keep a reasonable pace with her, since with my hand still in hers, and being considerably shorter than she is, I try not to lose enough speed for it to feel like I'm pulling away from her hand, if my hand feels limp is she going to think I don't care? If I squeeze too hard is she going to be weirded out? I want to open my phone and ask Mom what to do but if she sees me texting will she be offended that my attention isn't completely on her? She seems really nice so now I really don't want her to think I'm weird or rude so for now I have to assess what's in front of me. She's listing off nearby restaurants & some food trucks, occasionally looking back to gauge my reactions, so I can use that opening to re-engage and participate in the conversation.

I'm forced to suck back saliva
"Mmaayee shhumffing shhoff?.."

"Oh! maybe a smoothie place!"
I finally looked up to glance the back of her head, the black & bright red straps clashing stark against her soft blonde hair. I hadn't thought of how she's feeling after the installation, she was probably more nervous than me! She probably thinks I don't care about how she feels she must think I'm self absorbed-

"Right here! I've been here a few times now, and they've got a lot of different ingredients you can mix and match for different smoothies and shakes." She leads me into a brightly colored modern smoothie shop, it's logo a kind of alien font rendering it's title comically unreadable. She seats us near a wall adorned with soft elongated bright green shaped against the white tile, swiftly dealing me a menu.

Setting hers down beneath her hands knit together, she coyly tilts her head with an eyebrow raised.
"So, you wanna see what mine look like?"

I find myself picking at my facebows, managing a nod.

She leans closer, allowing me to awkwardly examine her appliances. The most eye-catching by far, the bright red facemask with its multiple straps encircling the back of her head & neck, the metal sections around her mouth sporting springs that jets past her lips and lock to metal bands around each of her molars, between them strands of metal wiring connecting the frame to more bands wrapping her canines. Opening her mouth, I spot a number of springs running opposite to the ones connecting her facemask. She tells me that even though she failed a facemask designed for underbites, since she only has a mild overbite, her polo gave her springs that would help correct the overbite, and use the frame of the facemask to stabilize her jaws since she would be required to where it anyways. She blushes and admits that she's still embarrassed about the look, but she's thankful it isn't as bad as she was afraid it would be.

Her expression turns to thoughtful concern as she motions for me to show her mine. I meekly open my mouth, my hand still nervously hovering near my headgear. Her face turns more intense as she scans the trays of spikes meant to keep me from tampering with my braces. As I swallow, the tongue cage clicks as it strikes its scopes from resting against my tongue, drawing her attention to the source of my soon-to-be permanent lisp.

"Oh Sophie!  :( Does that hurt?!"

"Aan weelly, eeh uusht ffeelshh uh iill eehvayshhivv... shhowwy.."

"What are you sorry about?"

After nervously caving to mounding guilt for not sayin the right things and explaining I didn't want to seem rude or uninterested and not saying much before the installations, Alex floors me with a patient sympathy, and slowly asks me more about myself, such as why I entered the trial, if I knew anyone else here at Winterville, what my plans were as Vice President.

Doing my best to respond through near constant sucking back saliva and garbled lisping, we at least manage a conversation that does wonders to set my mind to ease. She doesn't think I'm rude! She tells me all about her mom who worked in dentistry, but waited to let Alex have orthodontic work done til she was here at Winterville. She talked about her major in environmental science and her prospects for applications in government work landscaping, and how she wanted to make at least one friend in Psi Sigma Nu since all her other friends from highschool went to a different university.

She brings up my duties as Vice President, and how they involved regular speeches at assemblies and events, and how I was going to manage them with the tongue cage.