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Title: Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Mike's First Day of Classes [2/?]
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Law & Order
Pairings: [Ed/Lupo, Jack/Mike, Mike/Connie]
Rating: PG
Summary: Mike meets Connie. Mike meets Mr. McCoy. Mike must speak in public.

Disclaimer: Bullshit. Completely.

Author's Notes: As per the usual, some credit for this goes to [livejournal.com profile] amazonqueenkate, who was chatting with me when I laid down the basics. Mike Cutter, in high school, was probably an awkward kid, and the only person who really got him was his mock trial coach, Mr. McCoy. If you're not connecting the dots yet, you may want to get off the trolley. In short: High School AU, because it can be done.

Part 1: Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Mike Meets his Roommates



Unorganized Snapshots of Prep School Life: Mike's First Day of Classes [2/?]
By Perpetual Motion

Ed and Cyrus, who informs Mike at breakfast to call him ‘Lupo’, have first hour history with Mike. The guys are right; Munch is wacko, but he is entertaining, and when Mike leaves he’s surprised to find out he’s written six pages of useful notes. Ed has gym second hour while Cyrus has math, and they bicker when they try to give Mike directions to Mr. McCoy’s room so that Mike can make it to Poli Sci. He ends up sliding in the door just after the tardy bell and freezes when twenty people stop what they’re doing to stare at him.

“Mr. Cutter,” Mr. McCoy says with a slight smile. “I heard you’d be joining us today.”

Mike presses his back against the door and tries not to fidget. “Yeah. I mean, yes, sir.” There’s a collection of chuckles, and Mike feels himself flush.

“Shut up,” Mr. McCoy says, and the class goes silent. “I’ll forgive the tardiness this time, Mr. Cutter. You’re in the third row, fourth seat over. Connie, raise your hand.” A strikingly beautiful girl with dark brown hair and sharp cheekbones raises her hand. “The empty desk next to her, and the two of you will work together on some assignments.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike repeats and maneuvers over to the desk.

“Hi,” Connie says with a smile. “I’m Connie Rubirosa.”

“Mike Cutter.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Mike says and wants to kick himself when he realizes how ridiculous it sounds. He has no time to try to save himself because Mr. McCoy has turned towards the board and is writing notes as he opens his lecture.

“It’s current event day, which I know you all love, so let’s talk about China.” Mr. McCoy turns back to face the class and crosses his arms. “China has a long list of what America refers to as ‘human rights violations’-“

“They are human rights violations,” from a girl in the front row.

Mr. McCoy holds up a hand. “You know the rule, Ms. Kincaid. In order to try and keep an objective conversation going, there’s going to be some language you’ll disagree with when I make my explanations. May I continue?”

Ms. Kincaid doesn’t look pleased, but she nods. “Fine.”

“Thank you. As I was saying,” Mr. McCoy looks around the room and gives everyone a serious look. “China has long been in the dog house for human rights violations. Recently, actors have been speaking out against China for their part in funding violence in Darfur. I want you all to partner up and tell me if the sudden surge of actors making statements is good or bad and why.”

Mike blinks and looks at Connie, who’s already turning her desk and adjusting her notebook and pen. “Really?”

Connie grins. “Mr. McCoy says we need to learn to think laterally.” She picks up her pen and writes her name neatly on the top of her paper. “So,” she looks at Mike, and twiddles her pen. “What do you think?”

“I, um, I don’t know.”

“That’s not really a good answer for Mr. McCoy.” She says it nicely and scribbles something on her paper. “I’m thinking that it’s good to have attention brought to Darfur, but at the same time, it’s not like people don’t know about Darfur.”

“Is it bad to hear more about it?” Mike chews on the end of his pen and looks down at his own notebook. He writes his name in the margin to do something. “Talking about it is what gets people involved.”

“Like the celebrities?”

“…yeah.”

Connie cocks her head and watches as Mike seems to fade out of the room. “Mike?”

“I…um…” Mike shakes his head and looks down at his paper. “It’s not about getting people involved.”

“It isn’t?”

“It’s about…” Mike looks around the room. Everyone else to talking animatedly, writing down what looks to be reams of information. He bites his lip and gives his attention back to Connie. “If it’s about China and the way they’re helping hurt people in Darfur, why isn’t it about how China hurts people all the time?”

“Because they violate human rights all the time.” Connie writes furiously for a few seconds. “So it’s not about human rights really, it’s about-“

“It’s attention,” Mike interrupts. “It’s about the actors bringing attention to themselves in order to make themselves look involved and important.”

“Attention whoring disguised as caring?”

Mike considers it. “They might actually care, but if it’s about how China responds to human rights, they should be talking about the whole picture.”

“Tagging a popular, hard-hitting issue with their name makes them feel important.” Connie writes it down when Mike nods. “That’s really good.”

“Thanks.” Mike smiles a little and writes the explanation in his own notebook. “I’ve read about some of it, so I kind of had it there already.”

“It’s a good answer,” Connie says reassuringly. “I think you should be the one to present it.”

“What?” Mike’s pen slices across the page and leaves a long black line. “You can do it. That’s okay.”

Connie shakes her head. “I always have to present, and you were the one to piece it together so it sounds good.”

“No, I-“ Mike stops short when a large, warm hand lands on his shoulder.

“Mr. Cutter,” Mr. McCoy says, pressing his hand against Mike’s shoulder. “Why don’t you start us off and break any stage fright you might have?”

“…uh,” Mike clears his throat and stares up at Mr. McCoy. “I…” Mr. McCoy is watching him, and his eyes are really blue. Mike only looks away when Connie bumps his fingers with her notebook.

“For the record, Mr. Cutter, I do not make requests in my class.”

Mike stands quickly, knocking his ankle against his desk, and looks down at the notebook in his hand. “We, uh,” he squints at Connie’s handwriting. “We decided that actors care, but that they might not care in the right way.” He looks up at Mr. McCoy, who is standing with his hands in his pockets.

“Continue, Mr. Cutter.”

“Okay.” Mike takes a deep breath and steals a glance at Connie, who is smiling reassuredly. “The point is, if all those actors and stuff are really concerned with the human rights’ violations China is helping cause in Darfur, why don’t they care about the other human rights violations China’s had before Darfur?”

Mr. McCoy waits to see if Mike will say more. He nods when Mike looks up at him, eyes wide, and looking very much like a deer in headlights. “And that’s your argument, Mr. Cutter?”

“Ye-yes, sir.” Mike feels like he can breathe more easily when Mr. McCoy nods.

”Interesting take, Mr. Cutter. You can sit down.”

Mike drops into his seat like a stone and doesn’t look up for the rest of class, tuning out the rest of the arguments once he realizes that they are all of the variety that disagree with him and disagree with him viciously. He doesn’t miss the dark look a few people in class throw him.

The bell rings, and Mike’s the first to his feet, slinging his bag over his shoulder and nearly to the door before he’s stopped by Mr. McCoy’s voice.

“Mr. Cutter, if you could wait just a minute.”

Mike freezes in place before turning around, not missing the snickers from a couple of students as they walk by. He walks over to Mr. McCoy’s desk and stands with his hands clenched behind his back. “Did I-“

“You made an excellent point today.”

“Thank you.”

Mr. McCoy leans against his desk and puts his hands flat on the surface. “Headmistress Van Buren told me you’d like to join the mock trial team.”

“I, um, yeah.” Mike licks his lips. “But I’m not very good with public speaking.”

“You’re smart,” Mr. McCoy says flatly. “You have good ideas, and I think you have it in you to find the gray in a situation. The ability to speak in public will come. You’ve got everything else.”

Mike feels himself blush, and it makes him blush harder. “I’ll think about it.”

“The next meeting is Wednesday at four. There’s a special mock trial room next to the library.” Mr. McCoy catches Mike’s confused look. “The Schiffs were very good to this school.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike says because it seems right.

“Get to class, Mr. Cutter.”

“Yes, sir.” Mike turns on his heel and exits, feeling slightly light headed as he hurries down the hall.

Lupo’s in his third hour Music Appreciation, and he slides into the desk next to him when Lupo waves him over. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Lupo gives Mike a searching look. “Something up?”

“Mr. McCoy asked me to join the mock trial team.”

“Hey! All right!” Lupo nods in a happy way and leans against his desk. “You gonna do it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t…” Mike runs a hand through his hair and looks at Lupo a little shyly. “I don’t like speaking in front of people.”

Lupo pulls a face. “Me either.”

“But I kind of want to do it.”

“So do it.”

Lupo makes it sound easy. Mike’s not sure it’s quite so simple. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Part Three

on 2008-03-22 09:23 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] leaper182.livejournal.com
Oh, Mike. Between a rock and a hard place, aren't you?

*pets him gently*

on 2008-03-22 02:58 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
Hee. I'm double entendre-ing the 'hard place', because I am like that.

on 2008-03-22 08:36 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] leaper182.livejournal.com
I thought you might. <3

on 2008-03-22 05:39 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] lovefromgirl.livejournal.com
The best teachers I ever had were wacko. :-) Cyrus preferring "Lupo" does not surprise me -- at that age, who wants to be stuck with a moniker like "Cyrus" when one's last name is so much cooler?

Poly Sci may actually be Poli Sci, given that it's not polymers or polytechnics but politics in question. ;-)

I can completely hear Jack's voice here. I only wish I'd had him for AP Gov, though Mrs. Kay and her raps also rocked.

DO IT, MIKE. You will knock 'em dead -- including Jack, who completely needs to be bowled over by the jewel he has unearthed.

on 2008-03-22 10:42 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
Just you wait to see Jack's reaction. It is BRILLIANT.

I think [livejournal.com profile] amazonqueenkate and I went back and forth on the proper way to abbreviate "Poly/Poli Sci", and I think I did it wrong. :)

on 2008-03-22 10:27 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] jadoreguy.livejournal.com
“They are human rights violations,” from a girl in the front row.

Mr. McCoy holds up a hand. “You know the rule, Ms. Kincaid. In order to try and keep an objective conversation going, there’s going to be some language you’ll disagree with when I make my explanations. May I continue?”


Hee. This is just so Claire. And I echo [livejournal.com profile] distaff_exile: you have Jack's voice completely NAILED.

More, please. : )

on 2008-03-22 10:43 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
I had to give Claire a flyby. And I especially had to give her a flyby arguing with Jack. Because she always did it so well.

on 2008-03-22 10:46 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] jadoreguy.livejournal.com
Okay, I looked at the rest of your journal, and I'm friending you for all the Jack/Mike goodness therein. : )

on 2008-03-23 01:37 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
Welcome aboard!

on 2008-03-22 11:57 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] miriam-heddy.livejournal.com
I am waaaay too interested in babyMike now. And the wrestling bit made me feel like an old woman with a dirty mind. You done good!

on 2008-03-23 01:40 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
THANK YOU.

I did the wrestling thing and reread it and went, "Oh, dear, that's much hotter than I had expected." And I loved it.

Just you wait for the Ed/Lupo moments. They are, I must brag, ungodly adorable.

on 2008-03-23 06:49 pm (UTC)
ext_82418: (Yay!)
Posted by [identity profile] magisterequitum.livejournal.com
Ooh. I found this through a friend's friend's list (ahh. The wonders of networking on LJ).

And I have to say this is a very interesting, creative, and unique idea for a story. You've got the characters locked down, and I love how you've got all the teachers in here from their real world universe.

I've added you for future posts. ;) And I can't wait for more.

on 2008-03-23 09:21 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] perpet-fic.livejournal.com
Ah, yes, lj-jumping, a fine sport indeed!

I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! It's a ball to write and just overall enjoyable.

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