A/N: Wow, I totally ghosted. I admit that, and I apologize. College is just crazy overwhelming, but I still have so much muse for this story, so I'm going to try to keep it up. Thank you for the patience if you've waited for this, if you're new, then welcome! Enjoy, and I promise, I'm really going to try to post once a week. 3
He came off wise, calm, collected, everything that you'd expect an elderly man associated with the Walt Disney Company to be. Kresky stood there in silence, watching the kids as if this was all a piece of a puzzle finally coming together after years of work- and maybe it was, perhaps this hologram deal was made long ago, but everyone remained silent, observing quietly as the old man began to speak.
"I'm sure you have many questions." He began voice strong and deep, taking a pause to see if anyone would interrupt to inquire, however no one did, and so the old man continued on. "Mr. Feeny explained the scientific bit of this a lot better than I could, and that's saying something." A soft chuckle escapes his mouth, the others lightly laughing along. He smiles, continuing on with his speech, "So I'm here to tell you about your responsibilities that come along with this privilege." Mr Kresky took a step forward, leaning on the conference room table. "For starters, if we need you, there is to be no hesitation, you come. We give an order, you obey. Simple, and we won't ask too much of you." Though by judging his tone, it seemed doubtful. "Mr. Feeny also mentioned getting acquainted with one another, you'll be spending a lot of time together. It's crucial that you do, you bunch really need to stick together." Confusion arose at this, but Mr. Kresky continued on, not bothered by this in the slightest. "So in order to allow you all to become better friends and make things much easier on our part, we've arranged you all to attend the same school." He paused this time, allowing the natural protests to arise from the kids.
"I cannot change schools, no way!" Charlene protested loudest, though Willa and Philby were close seconds, yelling about their GPAs and AP classes. Maybeck, unbothered by this, took this a chance to poke fun at Charlene, mimicking her playfully. Finn didn't react well to this either, not wanting to leave Dillard behind, though he was much more hesitant to speak out than the others. The room was just a large mass of yelling, no words being quite audible due to everyone shouting something or another. simply chuckled to himself, raising a hand for silence, which he got in return.
"Now, now, one of you is lucky enough to not transfer schools, and that is Charlene." Groans could be heard from everyone else as Charlene breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Wilmington offers incredible academics, has the best athletic and arts programs, and quite frankly is the least populated, which prompted the district to allow you all to transfer there." He paused, making sure there were no more protests against his decision. "Charlene, it's your responsibility to take care of your new friends, take them under your wing, it looks like you know the ropes pretty well at your school." She smiled warmly, of course, having no issue showing them around. "It'd be my pleasure, Mr. Kresky." She continues to smile, though once her eyes land on Maybeck she glares slightly, unnoticed by anyone but him, in which he returns the ironic smile. Wayne Kresky seemed to be pleased, adding an additional comment that didn't quite sit well with the few of them who noticed what he said - "You'll be thanking me for this, just wait and see."
The rest of the meeting seemed to go similarly. Mr. Kresky giving more details, Philby being a know-it-all, Willa rolling her eyes at him, Maybeck deliberately going out of his way to torture poor Charlene, Charlene giving him a worthy retort back, and Finn just took it all in. They seemed like an interesting bunch, one that could certainly earn a reality show. If Disney's aim was to get people who couldn't be more different, than they definitely achieved this. Though, hopefully, opposites attract, because how they got along definitely affected how well of a job they would be doing.
After a bit longer, the five unlikely friends ( if they could even call themselves that yet ) had exchanged numbers, promising to text in a group chat later that night to make plans to meet up over the weekend or sometime during the week before they all transferred. Wednesday they would need to be starting at Wilmington, which left the kids Monday and Tuesday to prepare for their new adventure, and even Charlene who wouldn't be changing schools had to prepare. Life wouldn't be the same for her at school either, in fact, after the next week, no one's life would quite be the same.
Tuesday night approached much faster than anticipated. The weekend soared by, and Monday and Tuesday seemed to be a blur. Despite their continuous communication each day in their group chat, each teen was beyond unprepared to begin a new life at a new school, especially with such a crowd that held the reputation of being "stuck up". To ensure everything was in place for the next day, they all agreed to meet at a fairly central location for dinner and prepare. The closest thing to central was Marty's Diner, a place famous for greasy burgers and fries, all accompanied with shakes thicker than a chemistry textbook. It was a local favorite, so no one objected to meeting there.
Surprisingly enough, Charlene was the first to arrive, which would probably be due to her effort to prove she wasn't typically late and not provide Maybeck any more ammunition in his brigade against her. She sat in the back at the circular booth, flipping through the jukebox music list provided on each table. Maybeck arrived second, taken aback by Charlene's punctuality, providing her with a backhanded compliment. "Princess can be on time, good to know." His smirk never faltered as he climbed in the booth across from her, Charlene's only response being that of her eyes rolling. "What, no comebacks?" He taunts, getting comfortable as she shakes her head at him, "You're not even worth it." He seems offended by her retort, though once he sees a playful smile form on her lips, he too forms a similar one, realizing the two have some sort of unofficial game going on here. It was definitely on.
Next to show up was Willa, who slid in the booth beside Charlene, the two exchanging warm greetings, proving they've been in constant communication the past few days, at least the girls can follow instructions. The three who showed up early talked amongst themselves idly, though it wasn't much longer before Finn arrived. That left Philby to be late, and this alone excited Willa to no end. "Just you wait and see, the second he arrives here, I'm going to give it to him real good!" Charlene laughs, nodding in agreement, "Make him feel how Maybeck does after I give him a good comeback." This only makes Willa smirk as Maybeck retorts, though not much of an argument can form because Philby's now walking in, frantic due to his tardiness.
"How nice of you to join us, Mr. Philby!" Willa teases, putting the dramatics into full swing as Philby takes a seat across from her. "I'm sorry, but some of us actually have assignments to read ahead on. Have to stay on top at my new school. Figured you of all people would know that coming from an honors institution." It was a low blow, everyone remained silent as Willa formulated a comeback. "Actually, Philby, I already did the reading, I just suppose I have better time management skills is all." She won, clearly, and Charlene nudged her with a smile as it appeared team boy took a major loss.
Thankfully, the awkward silence that threatened to reign over their meal due to the hostility between the honors students was interrupted by an overly-friendly waitress asking for drink orders, water and diet cokes were ordered, prompting the waitress to depart from the table. Charlene took this as a cue to talk, " So, seeing as I'm going to help you guys out tomorrow, I think it's best if we meet a bit before the first bell rings. That way I can show you around and introduce you to people before homeroom." For the most part, everyone seemed okay with this plan, agreeing to meet at 7:15 the following morning.
The waitress returned with their drinks then, asking what they'd all like for dinner. Once again, she left, and conversation lulled momentarily. Maybeck spoke up first, "Alright, I gotta ask this, it's been eating away at me. Head cheerleader? Homecoming Queen?" Charlene seemed noticeably annoyed, which was understandable by Maybeck throwing every rich blonde stereotype at her. With an eye roll, she answered his question, much calmer than expected. "I quit cheerleading middle of sophomore year, my mom wanted me to cheer, but since I was a cheerleader I couldn't play my other sports. She thinks I still do it, but I was able to join the sports I actually enjoyed. Soccer, track, and softball. It's currently soccer season, so when I'm at practice for soccer she thinks I'm at cheerleading practice." Everyone seemed to be surprised, whether it be she didn't fit the stereotype or that she had to lie to her mom about her after school activities. "Why lie?" Willa asked, which Charlene just shrugged. "Meet my mom and you'll understand, I used to do gymnastics, so she wanted me to use my skills for it I guess. Anyway, what about you guys, what sports do you play?"
The only one who could supply her with an answer was Maybeck, who said he too ran track in the winter and spring seasons. Willa and Philby weren't really into sports, and Finn made a joke about video games counting as a sport. This caused Willa to laugh, though he wasn't sure if she was being friendly or just pitied it wasn't all that funny. The more time the group spent together, it was clear to see a friendship (even if not in the most conventional way of the word) would form. Chit chat seemed to take over, and it wasn't long before greasy, artery clogging, entrees lined up in front of the kids.
"Alright, my real question here is why the hell it's so important for us to spend so much of our time together?" Maybeck asked, words slightly muffled from the chewing of his cheeseburger. The others sat in silence, thinking his question over. Maybeck had however mistaken their silence for offense and quickly apologized, trying to clarify his statement. "Not that I'm miserable hanging out, I just mean like, apparently it's so important, y'know." Willa shrugged at him, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Maybe it's to show audiences authentic relationships between us when we do meet and greets like Kretsky mentioned?" The others nodded, which gave this theory some light. "Probably to keep minimum drama when we're working together, I bet as well." Finn chimed in, hoping his comment would sink in with whatever ongoing battle of wits Charlene, Maybeck, Willa and Philby were engaged in. He felt left out, not having a sparring partner for banter, but that just wasn't him, so perhaps his role was something else here.
After an hour more of idle chat, and the group splitting a massive ice cream sundae, they decided to call it a night and head home. After all, tomorrow would be the big day. By the time they woke tomorrow, they'd all be rooting for the Wilmington Wolves, like it or not.