Chapter One: Inevitable Doom


*Record Scratch*

*Freeze Frame*

Yep, that's me.

No, not the vague figure you're imagining now from the zero amount of information I've given you, and no, I'm not the heroic yet relatable main-character you'd expect either.

I'm the one that's currently, and quite poetically, hiding in the corner of Austin Moon's room.

Yep, that's the one.

Now, I bet you're all wondering how I got myself into this mess.

Well, it all began with a proclamation from our English teacher.


It was the first class of the day. English. It was what some thought of as a free period.

My friend, Trish, sat at my side and lazily flipped through a fashion magazine.

I held back a yawn and quietly observed the classroom.

There were a couple of students playing cards in the corner of the room while others scrolled through their phones.

Austin, however, was speaking to Mrs. Park, our English teacher. Though their conversation was not audible, his facial expressions signaled his growing frustration.

I glanced away and within that second, Austin screamed suddenly and, quick as a flash, threw his chair at the wall.

The class became startled and all eyes immediately fell upon Austin. In the silence, his heavy breathing filled the room, anger and regret churning in his stomach.

With a huff, he stormed out of the door followed by Mrs. Park who shut it behind them.

Austin's sudden outbursts were not unusual. In fact, they occurred periodically. However, I never understood what it was that triggered such rash emotion.

The class began to talk amongst each other once again. (The topic of discussion being Austin, of course.)

Mrs. Park then entered the classroom, clearly exasperated.

"You all are dismissed," She said, cueing everyone to leave.

I began gathering my belongings and headed for the door, that is until Mrs. Park suddenly stopped me.

"Ally, I'd like to speak to you privately," She said.

I hesitantly nodded.

"As you know, Austin has been disruptive in class, rude to his teachers, and considered a bully among his peers," She began, "If this attitude continues, he could risk expulsion."

I furrowed my brows, "And?"

"And, I need your help. There must be some way to get through to him," She replied.

I shook my head in disapproval, "You're the teacher; I'm sure you've dealt with problem kids before. You probably know how to deal with him better than I do."

"Nothing has worked," She sighed, "But, I do think you may be able to help".

"What?" I said, "You seriously need to go ask someone who has any semblance of control over their lives and I'll give you a hint: that's not me."

"Ally, I have allowed Austin to become a member of the study group you hold here after-school," Mrs. Park responded.

I released a sudden gasp and began stuttering, "B-but I -"

"Ally," She began, placing a hand on my shoulder, "If you're able to help Austin, in any way possible, I promise to write you a strong letter of recommendation for the university of your choice."

I was suddenly taken aback.

"R-really?" I asked.

Mrs. Park nodded, "So, what will it be?"

I paused. At that moment, I began to foresee the inevitable doom that was soon to come, as a result.

And yet, I said: "Okay, I'll do it."

Mrs. Park smiled, "Thank you, Ally. I will transfer this information to Austin. He will be in attendance this afternoon."

And, with that, she left the classroom.

Once alone, I placed a hand against my heating forehead and began attempting to process what had just occurred.

Frustrated, I let out a muffled scream into my hands.

This has been the worst life of my life.


As 5:00 P.M approached, students began trickling into the classroom.

(The first being Jisoo).

Jisoo is a foreign exchange student from Seoul, Korea. She has the appetite of a beast and is constantly eating.

After, taking a seat, she began placing various snacks and beverages onto her desk. I sighed.

(I am being attacked by airborne diabetes).

Soon after, Joshua entered the classroom. He burst through the door, tracking mud along the previously cleaned floor, surprising both Jisoo and I. In his arms were several cans of Red Bull.

(Joshua is the heartthrob of the school. He is a quarterback & is aware of his immense popularity.)

"I'm not late, am I?" He asked, attempting to catch his breath.

"No, you're not," I replied.

"Oh - Thank God." He laughed, taking a seat beside Jisoo, "I cannot afford another tardy."

Jisoo rolled her eyes in response.

Joshua paused, "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"I'm sorry did I roll my eyes out loud?" Jisoo sarcastically asked.

Joshua crossed his arms, "Keep rolling your eyes, maybe you'll find a brain back there." He then glanced at the large amount of food covering her desk, "How can you eat all that, anyway?!" He asked.

"I treat my body like a trashcan," Jisoo blatantly replied.

Joshua laughed, "Well, the trash gets picked up tomorrow, so be ready."

"너는 매우 성가시다!" Jisoo yelled.

"Hey, don't yell at me in a language I don't understand," He warned.

As Jisoo and Joshua continued to bicker, Dallas quietly entered the room.

I was taken aback. I internally screamed and attempted to contain my rapidly beating heart. (In case you didn't know, I have a crush on Dallas.)

"Hi, Ally." He smiled, his perfectly aligned teeth slightly revealed beneath his tender lips.

These were the words that chocked me, leaving me a floundering mess in front of his presence. I shifted my eyes from his bottom lip up to his speckled eyes, blinking nonstop as I tried grasping for words.

"H-Hi, D-Dallas. I-I'm great, thanks for a-asking." I nervously replied.

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh. Uh - okay then."

I released a sigh of relief after he turned away and took a seat behind Jisoo.

It was at that moment that Austin then entered the classroom.

I sunk in my seat, a grimace appearing on my face as I watched him sit down on the chair in front of me.

I felt the resentment radiating off of him.

I sighed. (There is no escaping this time.)

"Thank you for coming, everyone," I began, "Today we'll be talking a little bit about Philosophy. Is anyone familiar with Plato?"

Everyone quieted down.

"Maybe," Joshua replied.

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean maybe? It's a yes or no question."

"In case you've forgotten, I'm a foreign exchange student and I've never learned American philosophy. And, who's Play-Dough?" Jisoo asked, taking a bite out of an apple.

Joshua released an exasperated sigh, "Jisoo, you're too cute to be this stupid. Try again."

"If you call me cute again, I'll have no choice but to break your nose," She replied.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Let's all calm down for a second." Dallas interjected.

Jisoo smiled, turning to face him, "Dallas, you're now my favorite American."

"Are you kidding me?!" Joshua replied.

I bit my lip, "Listen, everyone. None of you have even given the slightest consideration to a word I've said!"

Joshua scoffed, "That's because you're super boring!"

"Hey, can you not be a dick for one second?" I asked, clearly irritated.

"Sweetie, one does not simply stop being a dick. It takes a lot of time, energy, and practice. And unfortunately for you, I am quite a lazy person," Joshua replied.

"Joshua, I swear I'm gonna yeet into the nearest trash can if you ever say that again," I yelled.

(Oh God, I am going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the universe.)

I sighed and turned to face Austin who did not seem to care about the commotion occurring around him. His legs were propped onto the desk and he lazily scrolled through his phone.

"Austin do you have anything to say?" I asked.

"There's a lot of things I want to say, but none of them are nice," He said. His voice was dull, expressionless.

(The room then became filled with an awkward silence.)

Though the study group session continued on for the next hour, Austin refused to participate.

After I had allowed everyone to leave, Dallas unexpectedly approached me.

I attempted to compose myself but failed miserably.

"So," He began, "I was wondering since we're having a study group tomorrow around lunchtime if you'd like to-"

"I love you," I suddenly blurted.

"Huh-"

"I mean I'd love to!" I replied.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow then," He smiled, exiting the classroom.

"Austin, will you be here tomorrow, too?" I asked as he gathered his belongings.

"No. I don't want to be apart of your stupid study group or whatever the hell this is," He replied, pushing past me as he headed for the door.

(What did I do to deserve this?)


I desperately needed to talk to Austin. My only option now was to visit him at his house. So, I did.

I knocked on Austin's front door. (Several Times). And, as I had imagined, there was no answer.

So, I scoped the perimeter of his house and noticed an open window.

(This isn't illegal, right?)

Upon entering, I began wandering around in search of Austin. I headed upstairs and noticed that the shower was running.

(I would prefer not to see Austin naked right now.)

Once, the shower had turned off, I quickly hid in the corner of his room.

The door opened and Austin exited the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I let out an involuntary squeal and cupped a hand over my mouth.

(God, I hope he did not hear that.)

(Oh, but he did.)

He raised an eyebrow and attempted to find the source of the sound.

I began hyperventilating.

And, that was when Austin discovered me.


"You've got thirty seconds to explain to me what you're doing here," Austin asked, arms crossed and jaw clenched tight as I quietly unraveled before him.

I bit my lip and glanced up at him, stalling.

"I was waiting to speak to you," I responded, timidly.

"In my room?!" He shouted.

I nodded in response.

"You could just knock like a normal person instead of breaking and entering while I'm in the shower!" He yelled.

"I didn't know you were in the shower," I quickly rebuked.

"What, are we just going to ignore the 'breaking and entering' part?" Austin angrily asked.

"No, I -"

"How long were you hiding there anyway?" He rudely interjected.

I chuckled nervously, "More than you'd like."

He released an exasperated sigh and ruffled his hair in irritability.

I lowered my head, "Look, I just want you to stop being such an asshole and attend the study group sessions."

"And I want you to stop being such a meddlesome brat. But guess what? We can't always get what we want," He replied.

I dragged my eyes away from the floor to look at his face, "I suppose I'll have to give you detention then."

"For what?" He asked, fear pulling his brows together.

"Talking back," I responded, matter-of-factly.

"That hardly seems fit. You know I didn't do anything wrong," Austin replied.

"All I know is that your attitude is getting old," I said.

"Ah, so I get detention for being myself? I always thought people were kidding when they said high school tries to kill your individuality," He scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, "Now, it's two weeks of detention."

"What the actual hell, Ally!"

"Three weeks," I blatantly replied.

"Okay - Okay. Stop!" He yelled, "If you keep talking, I have no idea what I'll do to you."

There was a moment of silence shortly followed by a sigh of defeat.

"I'll attend your stupid study group sessions just as long as you get the hell out of my room," He huffed.

I smiled excitedly, "That's great! Thank you, Austin! You will not regret this!"

Austin rubbed his temples, "God, are you clinically insane or just incredibly annoying?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, probably both?"

"Sometimes you say things and I have to restrain myself from hurling you out the nearest window," He muttered, "Now, leave me the fuck alone. I'm too tired for your bullshit. I have my own."

Austin then showed me to the door, clearly annoyed.

And, without another word, he slammed the door shut.

I couldn't help but smile, anyway.


That night, I had a sudden realization.

The study group that I had created was no longer a typical study group.

That night, Austin, Dallas, Joshua, and Jisoo became my band of misfits.


Author's Note:

Hello Everyone! I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of My Band of Misfits. This story is based off upon events that occurred while I was in High School. I have also added two characters that I hope you learn to love.

Don't forget to follow/favorite/review this story. If you have any questions and/or comments, please feel free to PM me! Thank you!

Q & A:

Which character are you?

A.) Ally: Reserved, Clumsy, & Smart.

B.) Austin: Hot-Tempered, Easily Annoyed, & Lazy.

C.) Jisoo: A Foodie, Always Eating & Carrying Snacks.

D.) Joshua: Loud, Always Late, Popular.

E.) Dallas: The 'Mom' Friend, Very Attractive, & Kind.