Wishful Thinking (Carissa)

[Frankie Beckett]

Frankie stood in front of the Brains' legacy house, arms crossed, much like she did almost every morning. She had many excuses for being out here this early, especially because she still resided in the dorms, which were on the opposite side of campus. The most common excuse she gave was that she had gone for a run and needed to take a break, but everyone knew she was imagining what it must be like inside the legacy house. She didn't know why she did this to herself - being out here, on the outside looking in, was like getting that rejection letter all over again. It made her sick with envy to just look at the building, but it also fueled her desire to be a part of it all.

It was time for her to start heading toward the school building, lest she be late for class (and God forbid that should happen, or her perfect attendance record would be tarnished). She took one last long hard look at the house and turned on her heel to walk away. She passed the other legacies - none good enough for her, of course, otherwise she'd have given up on the Brains last year - and wondered what it must be like on the inside. She'd heard the Hippies grew pot in their basement (shameful), the Skulls had some kind of ritual sacrifice chamber or something (deplorable), and the Stooges - well, she didn't even want to think of the kinds of idiotic things that went on in the Stooge house.

The last house she passed by was the Alger Society, one legacy she hadn't even batted an eye toward. She stuck her hands in her pockets and slowed her pace - but kept walking.

[Carissa Frank]

Carissa stood at the door of Alger society watching for a young girl to walk by. The young witch watched as her fellow classmate move to walk away from Brain's legacy. It was hard to watch a friend wish for something so hard knowing it might never happen. Seeing her slow down next to Alger society not even really giving it a glance. This seem to be hard because it seem that this year they seem to get less recruitment then others. It was hard though when seeing that the perfect candidate might not have ever thought of them because of love for another house. She was not going to let that happen again with this one. Seeing her chance slip away Carissa moved out the door towards the girl.

"Hello there Frankie, if I were you I would be careful. This time of year can be really tricky and hate for you to get sick. The brains might think so but it is not. Nothing is worth making yourself sick over." Carissa was one to know because she still trying to get better from her experience. It might not been a legacy but hers was for boys neither of them really made any sense. She slowly held out the second glass of chocolate she made knowing that Frankie would be coming. "Here take this I would feel a little better. It will help you at least stay warm because it a magical one my father buys. Why do you do this ever morning? Not trying to be rude just understand why so set on just a single legacy that seem to look over the others. I mean I almost became a Brain also if helps understand."

[Frankie Beckett]

She was a bit startled when the door to the Alger house opened up and a cup of hot chocolate was practically thrust in front of her. Carissa was one of those people that had always been nice to her, no matter how rude Frankie would be. She might have even considered Carissa a friend if she wasn't so hell-bent on keeping everyone at arm's length. "Thanks...?" she said warily, accepting the cup.

And there it was. The question she asked herself every morning as she turned to go to class. Frankie sighed, locking her fingers together around the cup. She opened her mouth to give the standard lie in response, but she couldn't do it. "Because I don't belong anywhere else." She was sure that the Brains were the only group of students on campus who would really get her, anyway.

[Carissa Frank]

Carissa could tell that Frankie was not really sure if wanted to take the Chocolate. She went to sip on her own. "You are welcome for the chocolate. I know we do not talk that often. The truth though is I have not been myself lately either. Some other things happen last year where let myself go completely. Now I am finally getting back to it all. It rough seeing you standing out there each morning going through the pain of having been rejected. They are not the only place you belong so you know."

The Alger's eyes moved to slowly look up at her own house thinking on it all. She did not realize how many people believed they only belonged to one legacy. There were plenty of people that wished they could have changed houses after a year but knew the rules were against it. This could have been a really great opportunity to show Frankie that she might have been throwing it all away for wrong house. "Don't sale yourself so short Frankie. The Brains are not the only ones that would understand you. Think about it also Frankie you have been going to that house every morning since rejected. Does anyone besides me even know you been doing this? If want truth there is one legacy that been standing at it's front door waiting for you to even notice them." Carissa moved her body so that it was facing towards her own home. "Every morning I stand there wondering about why you Frankie Beckett are changing yourself to become a Brain. What is it that the others don't have."

[Frankie Beckett]

Carissa was wrong - Frankie knew the only place for her was the Brains. Sure, she'd had her faith in the legacy shaken when she was rejected. It had taken two months after getting the letter for her to feel like even thinking about pledging again. Getting in was an easy fix. All she needed to do was get her grades up, and she was golden.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "So what if I come out here every morning? It's not hurting anyone for me to be out here. And frankly, it's nobody's business but my own." Was Carissa suggesting that Alger was the right place for Frankie? As if. She didn't see why it was so difficult for everyone else to understand that the only place she wanted to be was the Brains, and nothing was going to change her mind.

"And for your information, I'm not changing myself to try and become a Brain. I AM a Brain." She frowned, setting her jaw into a hard line. "Thanks for the drink, but I've got to get to class," she said quickly, shoving the cup into Carissa's hand before turning to walk away.

[Carissa Frank]

Carissa heard all that Frankie had to say and knew it been the completely wrong way of handling things. She just wanted to talk with the girl showing some reason. Now it seem as if pushed her as far away as possible. It made her realize she might been the problem on why the Alger's not grown. "For the first time you are right. I mean it makes perfect sense. You are not hurting anyone but yourself out here in the cold. I mean most of them are all still warm with their blankets studying. They not realized that a GPA is not what makes a person. None them most likely realized you were out there. Then when someone does and actually cares about you it gets thrown in face."

The Alger move to head back to her house. "You are not a Brain yet. If you were then would be in with all them and not out here in the cold with me. When you do get in are you going to forget about all those that are not there. Think about it Frankie and answer me a question honestly. Do you want to spend your whole school career keeping up a high enough GPA for a group? Or the second choice where you have friends and know what you want when get out of school. Ten years from now what people going to say when look at you. My answer for you would not be anything sure you will like at moment."

"Plus not saying you have to come in or not. There is plenty of time that you could make it back inside; however if don't mind answering. Have you ever been in one the other legacy? Seem what they have to offer besides just smarts. You can have more then one talent so know." Carissa could see from the roll eyes that there no reason to go into personnel thing because none it would help.

[Frankie Beckett]

Frankie wasn't totally heartless, despite what some of the other students thought. She stopped and sighed, reaching up to rub her face in frustration. "Sorry," she said, turning around to face the other girl. Even though she didn't like what she was saying, Frankie knew Carissa was right about one thing - the Brains most likely had no idea that she was out here day after day.

She didn't see the point of making real friends. Study partners, sure. Friends wanted to hang out, not study. Friends were distractions, and that was something Frankie couldn't afford right now. She kept telling herself that it would be different once she got in - then her legacy mates would be her friends - but would they, really? She'd been so singularly focused on fixing her GPA that she didn't even stop to think that maybe they hadn't accepted her because they didn't like her, and the GPA thing was just the formal reason for rejecting her. The thought was overwhelming. She could feel her chest constricting and tears begin to prickle at the corner of her eyes. She shook her head.

"I'll spend the rest of my days here doing what I think is best for myself. If people remember me as a huge bitch, so what? I don't care what other people think of me." Lie. It was a lie. Deep down, Frankie wanted people to like her just as much as the next person, but it was hard to make people like her when all she did was focus all her time and energy on getting what she wanted.

Was she kidding? Frankie didn't have any other talents. She was a good student, and she thought she worked incredibly hard to attain her goals. In her opinion, talent was just another word for lucky, and Frankie didn't believe in luck - just good old fashioned hard work.

She supposed it wouldn't hurt to visit the other legacies, just as a formality. "Look, 'm sorry for being rude. I've got some time to kill, and if it's okay with you, I'd love to take a look around."

[Carissa Frank]

The Alger saw that Frankie was in tears. It had not been what she wanted to happen at all. She just wanted knock some sense into her. The Alger walked over taking the girls hand knowing Frankie would be a friend now. The other witch would not lock herself away anymore. "You have no right to be saying sorry. The truth I should say sorry. When came out here did not mean to explode on you. Wanted to just talk letting you know there are others out there? It means don't have to do it alone. If helps will show up at the Brains every morning with something warm and stand with you."

Once at the Alger door she opened it watching the fellow students face when saw the cozy but still office filling. The walls were covered in what look like presentations boards and pictures of things happen in here. She knew that most of them already had all the business in's before leaving school. "No one wants to be known as a Bitch when leaving school. Those are also the ones that worry about because slip through cracks. How can I help you not become that person?"

The witch knew that she wanted to just shake some sense into Frankie. The girl was changing just to become a Brain. Once she was there it would not change because she have to do the same thing just to keep it. "Thank you for at least humoring me. If what to really Brain then let's make it happen? If realize there are other places you might belong will help find perfect one."

[Frankie Beckett]

A tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop herself and Frankie quickly wiped it away with her free hand. She had promised herself no more tears after the initial shock of rejection, and here she was, breaking that promise. "Thanks, Carissa, but you don't have to do that," she said, the corner of her mouth turning up into a small smile. She sighed. "I'm just making it worse for myself, coming out here every morning."

She followed Carissa into the common room of the Alger house. It reminded her of her dad's office back home, all business-like. The difference was that the common room looked warm and inviting, where her dad's office was cold and unwelcoming. "This is actually kind of nice," she said, letting go of Carissa's hand to step further into the room. Frankie couldn't see herself living here, but it was nice to see what it looked like, anyway.

"I'm already that person, Carissa," she said, shaking her head. "I don't plan on being rude to people, it just sort of... happens. It doesn't even register with me until after I've done it." Frankie circled the common room once, taking her time to look around to humor the other girl. "Tell you what. I'm still dead set on the Brains, but I'll keep my options open. I still don't think I belong anywhere else, but for the rest of this semester, I'll look into other legacies too." She wasn't going to give up studying, though. And looking at other legacies was definitely not committing to one. But if it was going to get everyone off her back, she'd do it.

[Carissa Frank]

Carissa seen that Frankie was crying moved over to one of the tables grabbing a tissue. The Alger then walked over holding it out to be taken. "You are wrong about that Frankie. If you are going to keep going out there thinking about how you want to get in there. I will be there also holding the items to make sure stay warm. It is making it worse on you is right. However learned from others and own experience that things will always get worse before better. Me standing there might be the way of you getting better."

She looked around the common room wondered if this was part of why they did not have as many people trying to pledge. Her room looked just like this but had charts of what the students in the school seem to like. They were going to work on trying to start this product idea planning stages. "Thank you, I mean to me this is home. My father had all my studies when growing up just like this. He believed it would ingrain in my mind this type of studies." Carissa then moved over to their mural of pictures seeing all the ones that had come and gone from this place. "I not saying that you belong here either. Just know though that we are not all about making sure we all go out and become CEO's in this legacy. We play pranks just like the stooges. Brains are all about high GPA's we have that also it just not something you have to do just be here. There are other things about the others we have also."

Carissa went to set down in one of the seats getting comfortable happy that was was getting through to Frankie. Her mind was now ready to open up and entertain other legacies even if not ready to pick one. If she could prove that she was not that cold. There was still a girl in there that was not wanting to be rude and make friends. "No you are not that person. You are allowing it to control you because not learned how to handle it. Thank you for allowing me to have the hope that might be able to turn you. However if you trust me then I going to do my hardest to make sure you get there. Come over if want to study, I will help you get the GPA up to make it into Brains like you want."

[Frankie Beckett]

She took the tissue with a half-smile and stuck it in her pocket. The lump in her throat was still there, and she was just barely holding it together, but she wasn't going to break down in front of Carissa. No way. She'd push it down like she always did and worry about it later.

Her head nodded, but she wasn't really paying attention to what the other girl was saying. Something about how they did other things than just be CEOs in training. Frankie didn't want to be a CEO. She didn't want to pull pranks, either. She wanted what she wanted.

Frankie was a little surprised at how easily Carissa seemed to let the whole thing go after she had said she would keep her options open. Maybe she should start telling everyone that - it would get people off her back about the Brains, at least for a little while. "Thanks again," she said, backing up toward the door. "I'll take you up on the offer to study, definitely. But I really should be heading to class - I want to get there early."

She gave Carissa a small wave and a tight-lipped smile, and then was gone.

[exit Frankie]

[Carissa Frank]

Carissa waved her hand thinking about everything that was going on. Frankie had finally said that she was willing to open up to other legacy. It proved that the other girl was not as gone as possible. She would help the other girl with grades to make sure everything happen like it should be. "You are welcome Frankie. I hope that you now realized that there are people that will care for you." The alger whispered to herself before moving to head to the kitchen putting the cups up. The witch still had to get to her own classes.