A/N: Kinda introductory chapter. :)

000

"It took one look

And forever laid out in front of me"

-Parokya ni Edgar

000

12:30, the clock on your wrist says. It's lunchtime. Everyone is at the cafeteria eating their lunch. Well, everyone except you. You're in a deserted classroom, eating the food that your Mom packed for you in the morning. After almost a year of being in middle school, you are now used to being alone. No one wants to seat beside you. No one wants to be your lab partner, even if being their partner will surely give them an A. Though it hurts you to admit it, you don't have a single friend.

Whatever, you tell yourself. Being alone has its perks. You can practice your drawing skills. You can read books without being bothered by anyone. You can play SIMS non-stop. Your Saturday afternoons which are usually spent by teenagers hanging-out are reserve for your piano and voice lessons. (You love music!) Your mother promised you that next week she'll enroll you in a ballet school.

Just when you are about to get your iPod in your bag, you hear the footsteps. You instantly feel that familiar crunching in your stomach. Your heartbeat increases. With the hushed laughters and muffled snort, you know they are near.

Quickly shoving your things inside your backpack, you run fast to door. Hell breaks loose, because you come face to face with them in an instant. There are about seven of them. Seven little kids who always lead the tormenting you receive everyday.

You totally let go of your belongings and put your hands to your ears and shut your eyes close. You have the right decision to do that because the next second, a chant of "Lucy Caboosey" can be heard all down the hallway. You don't see it, but some of the kids are even making their face shape like a pig.

The chants are getting louder. You pull your hands to your ears more, but you can still hear them. They may be trying their hardest this time, because the boys' voice get deeper and the girls' voice become shriller. You try to open your eyes, and what you see surprises you. Standing infront of you are the same kids that tease you everyday, except that they're bigger. You look at their dresses and they're not in uniform. Instead, the boys are wearing football uniforms and the girls are wearing cheerleader outfits. Jesus Christ, you silently mutter. They're high school students! And just then and there, you feel something liquid being thrown at your face.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry Lu-Quinn," your mother exclaims.

You slowly open your eyes as you feel a hand wiping something off your face. You see a bottle of water in her hand. She accidentally throws it in your face when the car stops. You let out a sigh of relief. It was just a dream, you think.

"I'm sorry, I'm just... a little nervous." Your mother hands you the box of tissues.

The light turns green and your mother continues driving. You quickly survey yourself in the mirror. You're still you. Well, the NEW you. Not you two years ago.

"Mom, I'm the one who has the first day of classes today, not you."

"I know! But I can't help it! Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Your mom shoots a glance at you but you look away. Are you? You didn't finish middle school. Instead, you were home-schooled in the last two and a half years. Checking yourself in the mirror again, you smile at what you see—blond hair, thin cheeks, perfect nose. You mutter, "I am."

000

Holy fuck, you curse under your breathe. The bell has already rung for 6th period but you're still in the hallway, looking for your Biology classroom. Your classmates in 5th period told you to go straight, turn left, and left again, turn right, and you forgot everything after that because this Puck guy said a simple "See you, pretty girl!" to you.

The moment you stepped inside William McKinley High, you've proven that high school is just like what the teen movies portrays. Cliques are everywhere. You almost laughed out loud when you saw a cheerleader who looks exactly like Regina George of Mean Girls being followed by two cheerleaders- one blonde, one brunette. Or that guy who is as creepy as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You (at least in the first few minutes of the movie). And the geeks! You smile at the thought that if you are still the old you, you will be grouped into them. Except that you are an extra ounce of a loser.

Your first day of school is great so far. Maybe because you really miss going to school. You miss being outside your house. You miss having noisy classmates around while you're studying. You enjoy your subjects. The teachers are nice. It feels great. Yet if you really have to be honest with yourself, it feels good 'cause no one is bully-ing you yet. It feels good 'cause some of your classmates are smiling at you. They are actually talking to you—asking you your name and details about you. AND, it feels good 'cause somebody actually asked you to be her lab partner. So this is how it feels to be normal.

In 3rd period, you met a fierce Latina by the name of Santana and a very adorable Brittany. By the end of 4th period, you allowed yourself to be dragged by these two and signed up for Cheerios. You are right when you thought that the Regina George-ish cheerleader you saw earlier that morning is the head bitch in charge in the school. She gave you a head-to-toe, toe-to-head look when you handed back the pen after signing up. You cringed. You have received that kind of look before. Your heartbeat increases and you were actually expecting an insult coming. You held her gaze for long and unconsciously raise an eyebrow when you didn't hear insults coming. She let out a chuckle and got the sign-up sheet for you. "Quinn Fabray," she muttered with a smirk on her face. "I think I found my replacement." She glanced at her side, to the blonde that was in her posse earlier this morning. Your glance diverted too, and you honestly see the blonde throwing daggers at you. She looked-

You are taken away from your thought when you see the sign that says: Biology department. An arrow is pointing to the right. A smile instantly appears on your face. Finally! When you're about to turn right however, you hear some voices on the left side of the hallway.

"Just no. Just... no. Someone slushied me already before first period. Can't you see the red stains still dripping at my hair?"

You turn around when you hear the word slushied. A Cheerio is hovering over a tiny girl wearing an argyle dress, mini-skirt and knee socks. What a weird fashion combination, you tell yourself.

"Look, someone warned me about the slushie fever in this school, but he didn't tell me that it can be done twice in a day!" The argyle girl continues to protest.

"Now you know." The Cheerio says coldly as she steps closer to the girl in argyle clothes.

The argyle girl steps backward, totally slamming on the wall. "Can't you just do this tomorrow?"

The Cheerio girl chuckles. "This moment is when I have a bad mood, not tomorrow. You moron!"

You know you should be moving away now, you don't want to be involved in this kind of things. You are a normal person now, and when you are in this argyle girl's position two years ago, normal people go away. They don't mess with things. Yet when you see the cheerleader lifts up the slushie cup in the air, you yell "Stop!" before you can stop yourself.

The Cheerio quickly turn around to look at you. The blonde girl in Regina George-ish's posse! Her eyebrows furrow, and she smirks. "Oh why dear, you want this on you instead?"

You see her walking towards you. You shut your eyes close, ready-ing your senses on the cold slushie that is about to come at your face.

"What's taking you so long?" You slowly open your eyes. You turn around at the source of the voice. "Oh, Quinn Fabray!" She nods at you and gives you a smile before she faces the cheerleader who's still holding her slushie cup. "Hannah, what's happening in here?"

"Ashley, THAT is taking me so long," Hannah points at the girl in argyle clothes. If you are not in a situation as serious as this, you will laugh at the facial expression that the short girl has. "And THIS is taking me longer." Hannah then points at you. Ashley glances at you, then back at Hannah again. "SHE interrupted my slushie theraphy! SHE can never be a Cheerio if she can't even take looking at these losers being slushied!"

Ashley raises a hand, signaling Hannah to stop talking. She faces you, "Quinn Fabray, you want to be a cheerio?"

The images of the cheerleaders being admired flashes on my mind. They are liked. No one messes with them. No one bullies them. Everyone wants to be them. "Yes, but…"

Ashley gets the slushie cup from Hannah's hand. She lightly grips your arms and guides you to the argyle girl. "Slushie that midget, and you're in."

Ashley gets your hands and you are forced to hold the cup. As you approach the girl, you see fear in her eyes. She has beautiful eyes, you notice. Beautiful brown eyes. She mouths, "Please, no." You remember when you were in moments like this, you remember how many times you asked them to stop. You remember the hatred. You don't want to be in that situation again. You remember how bad it felt.

Moral goodness slash loserville or sure-ball popularity for four years? It's really not that hard to choose.

000

… to be continued. Thanks for reading! Reviews and comments will be greatly appreciated. :)