"Well, welcome Reh!"
"It's pronounced Rey, actually. Like a ray."
After only one hour spent in this new high school, Rey had already heard her name mispronounced twice: once by the education adviser, and now by her math teacher in a room full of students that stared at her with obvious disinterest.
The lack of reactions was rather surprising, not to say disappointing. After spending ten full minutes talking about her life in Africa, she would've expected a few questions –maybe even a smile- to which she would happily have answered. Of course, her parents had warned her: Americans, especially teenagers, were highly different from the people she'd known for years. Of all the things she missed about Jakku, she mostly missed the lemurs. With such adorable faces, you wouldn't expect these fluffy things to make such weird noises- but despite their awkwardness, they'd never failed to make her laugh even on a bad day. Sure, she'd had many friends in the village and not one had ever made her feel anything else than welcome, but she'd grown up surrounded by animals to such an extent that walking in paved streets, where not a single colorful bird or armadillo was to be seen, made her feel empty.
Growing up with two zoologists probably had something to do with it. Since Jyn and Cassian Andor had adopted her at the age of five, the adventurous couple hadn't stopped bringing her on each of their safari they planned, teaching her more about the animal kingdom than she would ever had learned about in a regular class in a regular school. Sure, she couldn't name a single movie from the past ten years or cross the street without being nearly hit by an insanely fast bus, but she'd received an education she was proud of.
"I have a question."
The voice, shy but clearly audible among the deadly silence, dragged her out of her daydream. A nervous smile on her lips, Rey frantically nodded, ready to talk about the wonders of the country she'd lived in for no less than twelve years.
"If you're from Africa… why are you white?" A few giggles broke out around the boy. He nervously bit his lips, realizing the stupidity of his question.
"Oh my god Mitaka, you can't just ask people why they're white!" a tall, blonde girl exclaimed next to him as she rolled her eyes.
After silently asking the teacher if she could leave the board, Rey quickly made her way to the only empty desk and sunk into her chair, praying for the hour to pass quickly.
When finally, a bell echoed in the speaker she hadn't noticed, the whole class stood up in the same movement. In the blink of an eye, the room was empty. Naively, she risked a glance into the hallway to discover what looked surprisingly very similar to a jungle. Before she got a chance to say goodbye to her teacher, one of her arms passed the doorway and, a few seconds later, she found herself swept up in to a tide of rushing students.
Going with the flow, she tried not to let the crowd stamp on her as she held her bag close to her chest, terrified by the idea of someone stealing one of her books. Looking at the large corridor invaded by disruptive students, Rey remembered the first time she'd met marmosets: as she read under the giant tree planted in the middle of the village, she felt her hat leave her head. A snicker echoed above her, betraying the presence of a dozen monkeys that were about to also steal her book and tear it into pieces, indifferent to her angry shouts.
But if the corridor was a marmoset's nest, the cafeteria appeared to be just the same as the watering hole she'd visited more than once. Scattered around what seemed to be a self-serve buffet, an insane number of students were slumped on bright yellow tables, grouped in what seemed to be a voluntarily yet hierarchical organization. After a brief passage to the buffet (where she grabbed a plate of what she identified as fries) she took the first step of what appeared to be a long, instructive walk.
Not only were the tables differentiated by the style of the people sitting around it, but they all carried unique atmospheres that weren't easy to decipher or understand. When, finally, she reached the end of the room, Rey realized that these tables were also not easy to access. In the space of a few minutes, she'd been rejected by no less than six tables, including one where she was pretty sure she'd seen someone eat playdough.
"Hey! You're the new girl, right?"
Turning in search of the source of the voice, she felt a wave of relief brush her as she locked eyes with a beaming boy her age she recognized as the one she'd sat next to earlier in class. Timidly, she confirmed with a nod.
"Sit with us," he offered with brief glance to the empty chair in front of him, "there's always room here."
Not needing to be told twice, Rey nodded a second time and quickly sat in the offered seat lest someone claim it before her. In less than a morning, this place had awakened her most primitive instincts, pushing her to act like a clumsy marsupial who defended the little territory he'd earned by the sweat of his brows.
"I'm Finn," the boy hasted to add before nonchalantly pointing at the girl sitting next to him. "And this is Rose."
"Finally, another girl!" Rose said with enthusiasm, sending another wave of warmth to Rey's heart.
Before she had the chance to introduce herself for the third time that day, Rey heard the metallic sound of a tray slapping on the surface of the table and a chair pulling up next to her, soon followed by a deep sigh.
"And this is Poe," Finn announced with an ounce of amusement in his voice. "Poe, be nice, it's her first time going to school."
Touched by the fact that the boy had obviously not only listened to her speech but also memorized what she'd said, Rey almost forgot to turn her head to the newcomer, who was already examining her.
"First time in school? That's unusual," Poe said with a smirk. "People are usually way smaller on their first day. Look at Rose."
A small chuckle escaped him, soon joined by a gasp of indignation from Rose who, despite her obvious desire to giggle, threw a small pack of tissues that crushed on his forehead.
"Don't let him think he's funny, he's already way too proud of himself," the girl explained as she narrowed her eyes in a threat to Poe, who'd already grabbed a few fries from Rey's plate.
"Beginner's luck, I see!" Poe said. "They didn't have any left when I- hey!" Stopped mid-gesture by a firm tap on the back of his hand, he released the fries he'd grasped and turned to Finn with a frown, pouting in the most ridiculous way.
After a few more jokes and stolen fries, he finally calmed down and started to ask all the questions Rey had been hoping for an hour ago. Happy to finally feel at ease and welcome, it didn't take long to laugh along with the small groups who soon made it a point of honor to tell her everything about this world that seemed million lightyears away from what she'd always known. In less than twenty minutes, she knew more about this high school than she knew about her new neighborhood: she absolutely couldn't move from the seat she'd chosen on her first day even though teachers didn't assign them, couldn't make eye contact with anyone for more than five seconds without causing a fight and –Rose insisted on this- couldn't use the bathroom to actually go to the bathroom.
"Wait," Rey started, "why wouldn't I-"
"You don't want to know," Finn grimly whispered, shaking his head.
Being one year older than them, Poe considered it his mission to explain the rules of the cafeteria: you couldn't sit at a table if you hadn't been invited to, but neither could you ask to join.
"But I can sit at an empty table, right?"
"Oh no, you don't want to," the senior retorted with a frown. "That's social suicide."
"What if I'm not invited anywhere? Do I join those people on the floor?" Rey asked, completely lost but trying hard to follow all these new rules.
Following her gaze, Poe glanced at the small group of students sitting on the floor in a circle, joyously talking and eating their meals with their hands. Firmly shaking his head, he bit his lip and turned back to her. "Oh no, you can't join the Hippies."
"That's social suicide?" Rey asked tentatively, repeating the words without really understanding what she said.
"Oh no, they're just way too cool for anyone," the boy explained as if it was obvious.
A small silence fell on the table, during which the three students seemed to acknowledge Rey's unease as she realized none of this made sense to her. Giving her an encouraging smile, Rose put her fork down and cleared her throat before Poe could say anything else and leaned over the table, discreetly pointing at the other tables.
"Each table is a group," she explained patiently as Rey followed her gaze. "The Hippies," she started with a brief glance at the group Poe has presented earlier, "are one of the coolest."
"But we're better, obviously," Finn interrupted with a smirk.
Rose continued, oblivious to the interruption. "The Artists and the Jocks are the two largest groups, but they're rivals. Lots of drama." As if to emphasize her statement, she pointed at the tables threatening to collapse under the many students sitting on them, as loud as if they'd engaged in a noise contest. "You've got the Rich Girls just behind them, next to the Militants and the Virgins."
"You mean everyone isn't a virgin?" Rey asked in a whisper, her eyes wide.
A few giggles escaped the trio, amused smiles on their faces contrasting with their protective eyes.
"Oh Rey, look around you," Poe murmured with a grin.
Following his advice, Rey looked over her shoulder and examined the people around them. As she observed them one by one, she began to understand what Poe meant: with the exception of the table Poe had just mentioned, everything in every student's behavior seemed to be done in order to attract those around them. Low-cut necklines, exaggerated giggles, impromptu quarrels: they were everywhere, louder than necessary and just as ridiculous as they were effective. Quickly looking away from a couple almost making out at the Artists' table, Rey blinked a few times and turned back to the small group, her eyes even wider.
"Is that allowed?" she breathed, shocked by what she'd just seen.
Another giggle escaped the three friends' mouths, confirming her thoughts. Unsure about how to approach the topic, she held back from asking any more questions and grabbed a handful of the few fries left in her plate. Unable not to glance one last time at the Virgins table she was sure she wouldn't be long to join, her eyes stopped on a rather empty table occupied by only three people she hadn't heard about. "What about them?"
Following her gaze, Poe stopped giggling and cleared his throat, a frown betraying his visible unease at the question. "Oh. The Thirst Order."
"I thought we'd agreed on calling them The Thirsties?" Rose complained as she grabbed her carton of apple juice.
Shaking his head, Poe rolled his eyes at her comment and turned back to face his own plate, leaving Rey with nothing but even more questions about the mysterious group and the origin of their name.
"They're the elite," Finn generously explained in a significantly lower voice. "You don't want to be their friends, but more importantly, you don't want to be their enemy."
"They're evil," Rose seconded him with a nod.
Not without an arched eyebrow, Rey discreetly looked at the small group again, her curiosity piqued more than ever.
"Evil takes a human form in Armitage Hux," Finn continued. "Actually, I'm pretty sure he dyed his hair red just to strengthen the comparison."
"Poe used to date him," Rose explained with a nervous smile.
At the mention of his name, Poe rolled his eyes again and finally joined the conversation, all previous trace of mischief absent from his tanned face. "I did. Wouldn't recommend," he said with a weak grin.
Almost immediately, Finn's hand left his fork to rest on Poe's, an encouraging smile on his face. "At least now you're back at the Nerds table."
"I am," Poe agreed with a smile before leaning on the table to kiss him.
This time, Rey looked away just in time to meet Rose's amused look. Trying not to make it obvious that she hadn't suspected these two to be together, she bit her lips and went back to her contemplation of the apparently infamous group. One of them was sitting with her back turned to her, short blonde hair and high heels while the other was-
The other was looking at her. Feeling her cheeks redden at the unexpected eye contact, Rey blinked twice but held his gaze as she began to examine him, oblivious to Rose's amused smile. Between the blonde girl and him, this so-called Hux looked like a gnome: easily twice her stature, the boy seemed built like a wrestler. Begrudgingly taking her eyes off his arms, she risked a glance at his face where she met his two brown, piercing eyes again, slightly hidden by a few dark locks.
"Who are the two others?" she asked as he looked away.
"Now that's an interesting question," Poe smirked as he pulled away from his boyfriend. "The tall girl is Phasma. She may look like she could kill you with a toothpick, but don't be fooled: she could do it with her bare hands. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, she makes people cry."
Mentally making a note to herself to never talk to that girl, Rey examined her before hesitantly glancing back at the tall boy facing her, his face slightly hidden behind dark locks of hair. "And him?"
"That big one?" Poe scoffed. "That's Ben Solo. He's totally rich, because his mother is the mayor. He knows everybody's business, he knows everything about everyone."
"That's what his hair is so big," Rose said in a hushed tone. "It's full of secrets."
Risking one last look at him, Rey watched him a little longer, her cheeks gradually warming as a realization hit her.
Maybe Ben Solo was an enemy, but he sure was hot.
The following days held many other discoveries no one had warned Rey about: haughty looks, prohibition to talk without being invited to, and the apparently famous bathroom pass that caused her many, many misunderstandings. Lucky for her, Poe Rose and Finn kept teaching her everything she didn't understand as they kept inviting her to their table, their watchful eyes always waiting for her at lunch time. When Friday finally arrived, she was more than ready to greet the weekend and take a break from the popularity contest that high school appeared to be, even if it meant not seeing her new friends for two days.
As the morning passed, it became more and more obvious that something was wrong. Between the sidelong glances and almost imperceptible whistling she could hear behind her in the corridor, she'd started to wonder if she'd forgotten a piece of her outfit, but the many stops to the bathroom's mirror assured her that nothing was missing: everything from her denim jacket to her skirt was there, perfectly ironed and without a single rip. Feeling the need to ask her friends what she'd done wrong this time, she did her best to ignore the obvious gazes on her as she crossed the corridor leading to the other side of the building when the bell finally rang.
Just as she stepped into the cafeteria, her eyes began to search for what she now considered to be her table. Less than a minute later, she met Finn's encouraging gaze and felt her face brighten as he joyously waved, beckoning her to join him. Feeling her chest significantly lighten at the idea of finally seeing a familiar face, she started to walk towards him, her lips mirroring his smile.
She hadn't even passed the first tables when a voice, loud and arrogant, echoed behind her. "Nice skirt, new girl!"
Instinctively opening her mouth to thank the student, she stopped when she heard a few giggles follow his compliment.
So that was the problem: her skirt.
Back in Africa, wearing a skirt had never been a problem. In fact, she'd even spent many afternoons walking around the village in nothing more than a swimsuit whenever a heat wave occurred, and no one had ever said a thing about her outfit. Suddenly very self-conscious about her exposed legs, she pulled on the fabric and gritted her teeth as she took another step to Finn, eager to join her friend and forget about the remark.
Just as she wondered why Finn's eyes were suddenly wide open, she felt air brush her skin and a hand slip under her skirt, landing right on her thigh.
From then on, everything happened fast, and all at once: Rey turned around, Finn stood up and another voice, deeper, echoed above her as a tall figure appeared by her side.
"Leave her alo-"
The unknown figure never finished his sentence, his words disappearing along with the giggles surrounding them as Rey watched her palm connect with the student's cheek with a loud crack. His eyes widened just as much as the hundred others staring at them and he took a few steps back, his own hands covering his cheek that was now covered by five distinct red fingers.
Heart beating fast, Rey stood there for a moment, staring at the boy with furious eyes until a hand landed on her shoulders, soon followed by Finn's voice. "Come on, don't stay here."
Not taking her eyes off the shaking student she'd just slapped, Rey nodded and turned back to follow her friend.
"Hey, why wouldn't you sit with us?" a voice called out as she started to walk.
Wondering if interrupting people was another custom she hadn't heard of, Rey turned to the source of the voice and felt her throat tighten as she realized who had just spoken to her.
Armitage Hux. The devil.
Not sure if this was another one of these jokes she didn't get, Rey glanced at Finn who'd already reached their table. Narrowing his eyes, he gave her a brief smile and shrugged, soon joined by Poe who gave her an inquiring look.
"Come on, sit!" the redhead insisted with a smile.
Remembering Poe's words about being invited on a table, she bit her lips and took a seat on the chair facing the boy, doing her best to regain control of her breathing.
"That was incredible," he continued, his smirk betraying his admiration. "Why don't I know you?"
"I'm new," Rey replied, cautiously weighing her words as Finn's words echoed inside her head. You don't want to be their friends, but more importantly, you don't want to be their enemy. "I used to be home-schooled."
"Oh yeah, she's the girl from Africa," commented the blonde girl. Looking up from her plate, she finally glanced at Rey and gave her a brief nod. "Don't mind Hutt, he's an idiot," she added with a roll of her eyes. "I'm glad someone finally gave him what he deserves."
The almost imperceptible smile she gave him almost achieved to guide Rey's heartbeat to a normal pace. Encouraged by the unexpected solidarity, she took a breath and voiced the question that hadn't left her mind since the accident. "Why did he do that?"
"Because you're pretty."
Taken aback by the answer, the two girls turned to the only one who hadn't spoken so far. Still standing next to the table, Ben Solo quickly looked away from Rey and he sat back next to Hux, nervously intertwining his fingers.
"Thanks," Rey whispered before turning to the two others, another question burning her lips. "Am I gonna be in trouble for that?"
"Probably," the ginger replied with a shrug. "But if so, tell me. The principal owes me one."
A frown appeared on Rey's face, which she quickly tried to hide with a smile. "Thanks, but… why are you nice with me?"
"I was new too once," he explained with a highly compassionate smile. "We moved from Ireland when I was ten."
A few minutes passed, during which Armitage kept asking questions and nearly almost always ignoring her answer, his eyes fixed on the phone that hadn't left his hands. When finally the occasion presented itself, Rey mumbled a few excuses and briefly pointed at the table where Finn, Poe and Rose were still looking at her, saying that her friends were waiting for her.
"Oh, you've befriended the mathletes," Phasma said with a smirk. "That's cute."
"Wait," Hux said. "Give me your phone."
Despite her reluctance to trust him, Rey obeyed and handed Hux the old device her parents had given her a week ago. Both of his eyebrows raised with surprise, he started to type a few things then handed it to the blonde girl, who did the same.
"You should sit with us next week," the red-haired boy stated with another one of these smiles that made her wonder if he was joking or not. "But, just so you know, we have a few rules."
Eating with the Thirsties- or whatever they were called- wasn't exactly what Rey had planned for her second week in high school, but she wasn't about to let new rules escape her. And she needed her phone back.
"You can't tell anyone about what you hear at this table," Armitage started to list, his fingers rising one by one along with the rules he announced. "You can't invite someone without everyone's approval- except for me. If one of us is in trouble, we all have his back."
"Or her," Phasma corrected.
"Or her," he said. "And on Wednesdays, we wear plaid."
Before any of them could continue, a throat clearing echoed behind Rey, who turned her head just in time to see her phone extended to her by Ben's shaky arm. Holding his gaze, she silently thanked him and grabbed the device, doing her best to ignore the way her heart hastened when their hands brushed. "Ok. I'll go back with my friends, now."
After promising Armitage to call him on the weekend, Rey quickly walked away from the group with clumsy, hasty strides.
"I need a plaid shirt," she mumbled as she sunk into her chair under Poe's amused smile.
"Oh Rey, your first year is gonna be the best you could ever have wished for," the senior murmured with a smirk. "What did they want?"
Hesitant to break the first rule Armitage had just told her, she cautiously reported the skirt accident, Hux's invitation to join them as well as his offer to save her if she ever ended up in the principal's office for the monumental slap that had obviously impressed the whole cafeteria.
"Gosh, you're so lucky you have us as your friends," Finn whispered with disbelief once she'd finished.
For the first time since she'd stepped into the room, Rey's felt her lips curl into a smile and she grabbed a few fries from Poe's plate, her stomach reminding her that she hadn't had the chance to get her own yet.
"Guys. I think I have an idea," Poe murmured, his eyes wide, his smile maniacal.
Looking up from their meals, Finn and Rose gave him an inquiring look then followed his, lingered on Rey. Judging by the look in his eyes, she knew whatever he had in mind would get her in troubles. But Finn said they were friends, and she was in no position to pass up friends.