A/N: Hello! I've been hard at work writing like I'm running out of time, and I think I finally made a little progress, through pushing myself to write, to get myself out of the rut I've been in trying to work on the first part of N0T1ME, which is my series that revolves around my OC, Emma, and her adventures in time travel. This chapter unfortunately doesn't include any time travel, but hey, we have to have to have a chance to meet some characters and learn what they like and dislike, right? In this chapter, we meet Emma and her friends briefly and then see how Emma reacts to getting in trouble. Next chapter will have Emma and Marty Jr. spitting fire at each other while they waste away in detention on a Friday afternoon, and then will probably also be about Emma's home life and her relationship with the rest of her family before she gets to go and see the new time machine. Kind of like the first Back to the Future movie, but longer.
N0T1ME
November 20th
2015
It was unusually bright and sunny for a fall morning at Hill Valley High School. Even in temperate California, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that it would be yet another dry winter, and their drought situation wouldn't be ended anytime soon. Kids were excitedly talking about their plans for Thanksgiving on the last Friday before break. A group of four teenage girls sat together against a wall. A heavy-set girl asked one of the others, "What are you doing for Thanksgiving, Em?"
A bookish teen girl, the one referred to as Em, glanced up from her statistics textbook, "I don't know yet. We were going to try to have the whole family together for dinner, but I don't know if anybody's going to be able to make it. Even my dad said he might be busy at the Institute," she said. "What about you, Steph?"
Stephanie shook her head. "My mom's flying me and my brothers out to some big family reunion in North Carolina. We're leaving tonight and we won't be back until break is over."
"Oh. I guess there go any plans of hanging out," she said.
"Yeah, sorry. But I'll have my phone and my laptop, so maybe we can video chat?" Stephanie said optimistically. "And hey, at least you'll still have Cindy and Marlene to hang out with."
The girl addressed as Cindy shook her head and spoke without looking up from her phone. "Uh-uh, not me. I'm going down to LA this weekend, and then way the hell up to Oregon until next Friday, and I'm pretty sure after all that driving all I'm gonna do Saturday and Sunday is sleep. Maybe even Monday. Who knows? Not like this school will miss me, anyway."
Emma looked to the last girl in the group. "Marlene?"
"You're always welcome at our house, I guess," she shrugged. "Grandma Lorraine loves having visitors for Thanksgiving, and she adores you. I think the whole family does, actually." she added.
Emma laughed, "Everybody except your brother." She looked down at her homework again, and after writing for another few seconds, closed the textbook and stacked her notebook on top of it. "I still don't know what his problem is."
"Junior's just bad at talking to girls, is all. He doesn't mean anything by it," Marlene said.
"He's just bad at talking in general," Stephanie replied.
"Maybe Emma's just bad at talking to boys."
"They're both terrible at talking to each other. That's why they can't get along!" Cindy said.
"That's at least one thing they have in common."
Stephanie stretched her arms up, groaning as she did, then asking, "You and Junior are twins, right? How come you're so much cooler than him?"
"Well, the obvious answer is that girls are cooler than boys. At least on a personal level. I don't have any scientific data to back it up generally," Emma laughed.
"How does that apply to boys who became girls?" Cindy asked.
"Oh my God, don't be an ass, Cin," warned Marlene.
"What? I'm seriously asking." Cindy replied innocently.
"Ask Emma, "Steph retorted. "Isn't it always the smart ones who can't comprehend gender?"
"Not ALWAYS. Just ones who are always convinced that they're right no matter what. Which is most of them." Emma answered. "But I was raised better than that. I do want to know why he hates me, though."
"Why don't you just ask him?"
"Griff is over there."
"So?"
"As much as I think Junior hates me, I think Griff's disdain toward me rivals his tenfold." She winced, "I'm not getting near him until I have a deathwish."
"Didn't you insult his hat once? Maybe that's why he hates you."
"I did not!" Emma exclaimed, adding more calmly, "I simply said that I didn't understand the snapback trend... While I was in his vicinity... By accident. And I don't get why he went with a bright orange hat, of all things."
"Haven't you noticed?" Cindy laughed, "He's an attention-seeker. And nothing says "pay attention to me!" like orange clothes."
"Yeah, but you gotta admit, he looks better in that kind of hat that most of the jerks who wear them."
"No kidding. Have you guys seen Griff lately? I mean, the hat, the bro-tank that he basically slit all the way down the side, and baggy jeans? What is he trying to prove, exactly?"
"How to look like a homeless person in the year 2015."
"Why does Marty Jr. hang out with him and his gang?"
"He's bad news. No wonder Em doesn't like him."
Emma sighed, "I don't think he 'hangs out' with Griff by choice. Even then, that's only pat of why I don't like him. You're speculating based off of maybe two accurate observations I've made in the past... Can we just..." she choked, "Can we change the subject, please?"
"Fine." Stephanie said, just as the bell rang to call everyone to class. She groaned, "Uuuugh, I am not looking forward to Civics right now."
"See, I told you, you guys should've done AP so we could be in Stat together," Emma teased, gathering her books and standing up as the other girls sluggishly got to their feet. "Or at the very least, Trig."
They walked into the school building together. "But that would've taken so much extra work," Marlene whined.
"Yeah, no offense, Em. But it's a miracle that me and Marlene ever even made it into Pre-Calc," Stephanie said.
Emma's eyes lit up as she remembered the Brown family motto while she was opening her locker."Well, I think..." she trailed off as she stuck her textbook and notebook back inside and pulled out a large binder with the word "STAT" written on it in marker, then turned to face her friends again. "It's like my dad and grandpa always say, 'if you put your mind to it-'"
"-You can accomplish anything," Marlene rolled her eyes as she closed Emma's locker for her. "Yeah, yeah... MY dad always says that too."
"Well, I gotta go to class. Later, bitches!" Cindy chirped, disappearing into her English classroom.
"See ya, Cin," Emma said. From outside, the other three girls could faintly hear Cindy's teacher kindly ask her to stop the casual swearing, followed by Cindy shouting something along the lines of "eat my shorts."
"Where's your mathy-whatsis class, again?" Stephanie asked.
"Stat," said Emma, "It's...way over on the other side of the building."
"Well, ours is right here, so... Bye!" said Steph, opening the door to their drama classroom and rushing inside.
"Thanks a lot, guys," Emma muttered to herself as her friends darted away. She looked back as she rounded the corner, causing her to crash into an unsuspecting student and drop her binder on impact.
"Hey, watch it!" Marty Jr. spat.
"Sorry, I-Junior..?" she asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to class like everybody else." he answered as he got to his feet and adjusted his backpack and his pants.
"That's not what-I mean, I walk this way every day and I've never, ever seen you over here before, " she explained.
"That's 'cause I never, ever go this way," he added, "Except today."
"Why?"
"Because," he started, "I'm late and I don't want to get caught by Griff or busted by Strick-"
"-Busted by who?" As if on cue, the principal appeared behind them, grabbing their backpacks so they couldn't bolt off. His secretary was with him, but she remained silent as she flipped to the back of her clipboard to write up Emma and Junior's detention slips. "A feat that would be more easily attainable if you took the easy way out and just didn't bother showing up... Well, look who it is, Miss Schafer. Emma Lise Brown and Martin Seamus McFly Jr. Now, that's a tardy slip and detention for both of you to serve in my office this afternoon." Gerald Strickland Jr. was every bit the disciplinarian that his grandfather had been for over fifty years.
"What?! But-but it's only my first offense! You can't do this!" Emma cried. Junior took his citation without hesitation or a word.
"Oh, yes I can, Miss Brown. Our new policy states that any student caught skipping class will be subject to a citation requiring them to serve detention. I'll keep you here all night if I have to."
"Sir, we can't keep them past five-thirty on the grounds of extra-curricular activity," his secretary said quietly, "...and the staff party tonight."
"I will keep your here until five-thirty!" He wagged an authoritative finger at them. "Now get to class, both of you. I'll see you this afternoon."
Emma huffed as she took the citation the secretary had written up. She had never been in trouble like that before, and she felt sick to her stomach as she finally arrived to statistics. She was five minutes late, which resulted in another tardy slip from her teacher.
A/N: That's it for now. Please don't forget to follow, favorite, and review if you would like me to continue this series. Thank you!