It was the first day of the new school year. Sheldon and Leonard sat at their usual lunch table in the crowded cafeteria, waiting for Howard and Raj to come over with their trays.
"Did you want to swing by the comic book store after school today? The latest issue of Batman comes out at 4 o' clock." Sheldon said.
"Yeah sure. Raj can probably drive us if you don't want to walk." Leonard responded.
"Oh that's not necessary. It's supposed to be 75 degrees with a low pollen count this afternoon. If that's not ideal walking weather, I don't know what is." He responded.
Sheldon was a tall, gangly 16 year old. He was a senior in high school despite the majority of his age group being in 11th grade. His mother only let him skip one year when he was little to force him to socialize and experience 'normal high school' stuff. Leonard, Raj and Howard were all in the 11th grade, and considerably shorter than Sheldon. Together, they formed a fairly quiet, academically oriented group.
Raj and Howard finally made it to the lunch table. They were babbling about something that happened in physics class.
"I understand that your bridge held more weight than mine, but it was still pink." Howard said.
"Dude, it was Salmon, not pink. And it could be rainbow glitter for all it matters. I still kicked your sorry butt last period." Raj responded.
"You got lucky. Once I'm out of engineering school, you're going dooowwwwnnnn."
Sheldon broke up the conversation. "Gentlemen, please. Onto a more important discussion. Raj, Leonard and I will be walking to the comic book store this afternoon. He offered your vehicular services, but I assured him we'd reserve such for bad weather days."
Raj sat up straighter. "Just because I'm the one with a car doesn't mean I give free rides."
Howard jumped in. "Can I come too? I got my allowance this weekend, so I plan on stocking up."
"I suppose." Sheldon said as he took another bite of his sandwich.
Meanwhile, Bernadette was walking around the cafeteria with a coffee can. She was collecting donations for the Biology club so they could go on a trip to CalTech's Microbiology Lab. Her hair was half up and curled, and she sported chic dark glasses. It went well with her school-girl inspired outfit.
She made her way over to the guys' table. "Hi guys, would anyone here like to donate to the Biology club?"
"I'm sorry, but the money we brought to school is ear-marked for the latest issue of Batman." Sheldon explained.
Raj tilted his head a bit. "I've got a quarter left over from lunch that you can have." He said as he reached across the table to put it in the coffee can.
"Aw, thank you! Every little bit helps!" She said as she sauntered to the next table.
Howard watched her walk away. "I'd tap that."
"You'd tap anything that breathes. And has breasts." Raj said.
"Go talk to her then." Leonard suggested.
Howard quickly flashed him a look. "Oh yeah, sure. Because that would go well. Biology club aside, she hangs out with all those prissy chicks that look straight over my head."
"That's because they're all taller than you." Sheldon added.
At another table a few down from the guys, Penny sat sideways on a chair, talking to a large group of people. She was wearing a tight, white tank top and denim capri pants. Her hair was ironed straight with lighter blonde highlights. Penny saw Bernadette working the reject tables at lunch and walked straight up to her.
"Not now, Bernie. It's the first day. You can chit chat with the freaks and weirdos later. Come back to the table." She said as she pulled Bernadette by the arm back to the 'popular' table.
Leonard watched the whole thing happen and just stared in their direction.
Howard shook his head. "Yeah, if I'm out of my league then you're out of your mind. We're the freaks and weirdos Penny referred to. You're wasting your time just looking at her."
Leonard broke out from his daze. "I was just looking. It's a shame really. We could have babies that were smart and beautiful…"
"Not to mention imaginary." Sheldon said.
After lunch, everyone went to their respective classes. Sheldon went to multivariable calculus, which was populated by a handful of seniors that managed to finish advanced placement calculus in their junior year. Upon sitting down with the same students Sheldon was accustomed to seeing, he noticed a new face in the crowd. She had straight dark hair framing her face, thick glasses, a long sleeve t-shirt and a long denim skirt. She looked around the room for a second before taking a seat at the front of the class.
Sheldon tilted his head a bit, trying to verify that he never saw her before. He walked up behind her, still looking at her with confusion. She turned around and looked up at him.
"May I help you with something?"
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've seen you before. And being that this class is a continuation of the Pasadena High School Fast Track Calculus Program, I feel like I should have seen you before."
She nodded. "Your logic is sound. However, I'm new here. I completed River Valley Academy's Calculus program upon being transferred to this school."
"Oh, well in that case, welcome. I'm Sheldon Cooper."
"Hello Sheldon. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. I am in the 11th grade because my mother believes I should experience all 12 years of grade school, despite my advanced course load."
His eyes opened a bit wider. "Really? My mother has a similar philosophy, except I did get to skip 4th grade after an incident with my fellow classmates resulted in persistent bullying and physical threats to my genitalia's development. So I'm in the 12th grade currently."
Amy nodded. "Understood. There is an empty chair next to me if you wish to join me."
He grabbed the back of the chair. "Thank you." They sat down and mocked the rest of the class together.
When the bell rang, Amy and Sheldon parted ways. Amy looked at her schedule and walked toward the gym. She wasn't particularly excited about physical education, but it was a requirement at this school. She got to the locker room and went into a corner to change into her gym clothes. As she changed into her oversized gym t-shirt, her glasses fell off and hit the floor. Amy squinted at the floor to look for them when a petite blonde bent down to retrieve them for her.
"Here, you dropped your glasses." Bernadette said.
"Thank you for finding them for me." Amy responded.
"You're welcome." She said as she turned around to continue talking with Penny. Amy looked at the two blondes and felt conflicted. At her old school, she spent two years avoiding girls like them like the plague. But in one moment, a girl did something nicer for her than anyone ever did at the academy. Amy decided to take a shot and engage in conversation with them.
"I noticed that you both are wearing demi brassieres. I believe that in rigorous events such as physical education activities, sports bras provide the much needed support for our growing bodies." She said.
Penny and Bernadette slowly turned and looked at Amy. They remained speechless for a second.
"Um, okay whatever. It's fine." Penny said. She looked a bit freaked out at the new girl's attempt at conversation.
Amy recognized the cold stare of derision and turned back to her corner locker. Bernadette felt bad for Amy, since she seemed so alone, but really had no good segway between the bra comment and any other conversation.
During the actual gym class, the girls ended up playing volleyball. Amy was picked last for her team since she looked less than athletic. They played a full game while rotating who would serve the ball. Eventually, it was Amy's turn, and she did not have much experience with the game. She watched Penny serve overhand and tried to imitate her moves. She threw the ball up in the air and tried to punch it with her fist. Instead, she ended up hitting herself in the face with the ball and dropping her glasses again. She could feel the stares and snickers from the girls on the other side of the court. Bernadette was next to her and decided to pick up her glasses again.
"Here you go again. Try serving underhand. It's easier for beginners." Bernadette said as she handed over the glasses. She briefly motioned to Amy how to hit the ball. Amy nodded and rested the volleyball on her left hand. She quickly hit the ball upwards with her right hand and watched it soar over the net. Amy jumped up and smiled.
"Ooooh I did it! I really did it! This is fantastic! I'm a regular Kerry Walsh!" Amy said while smiling.
Bernadette smiled back at her. She knew that being barely 5 feet tall would make her virtually useless in the back row, so she decided to introduce herself.
"By the way, I'm Bernadette. What's your name? I've never seen you before today."
"I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. I attended River Valley Academy last year." She responded.
"Oooh the fancy prep school. I'm sure you'll like it here better. We have a more diverse student body, so everyone finds somewhere to fit in."
Amy shrugged. "That'd be nice. The only person that would have lunch with me last year was the janitor, and I eventually got in trouble for it. So, now I'm here in an attempt to increase my socialization."
Bernadette awkwardly smiled. "Well, good luck with that!"
"Thank you." Amy said. She then lowered her voice and spoke to herself. "Boy this is exciting! First day of school and I've already had a guy come up to me and introduce himself AND found a girlfriend to make small talk with in gym class! I think I might just learn to like high school!"