Jemma: Maybe this thing will end up with more chapters than we planned... Woo.
"I can't believe Ming Ming's anorexic..." Cassie said, her blue eyes focused on the lunch room table in front of her. The others just sighed at her comment, all of them seated at their usual table and doing nothing but pick at their food.
"That's not the only thing fucked up around here.." Queen trailed off, her chin resting in her hand on top of the lunch table. "Trust me; it's really not."
"What do you mean?" Her brother asked, stabbing his fork down into his roast beef. Or, what looked like it...
Queen flicked her head towards the table where Mariam was sitting sideways in her chair, resting her upper body against Max who sat against the wall.
"There's a lot blondie doesn't know about her." Queen sneered, watching her blue-haired nemesis tap away on her cell phone texting keyboard. "She's probably texting her lesbian lover right at this moment."
"...Her lesbian lover!?" Kyle asked, somehow managing to not make heads turn in the loud cafeteria. His friend nodded.
"Yupp. Mariam's been screwin' around with my roommate."
"..You mean Jemma?" Ashley asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. "That's kinda weird... Jemma's had a lot of boyfriends... She doesn't seem like the type to me."
"Ohhohhhhhhhhh, she's the type." Queen whooped, "dyke straight-up. After all... I pretty much caught them making out on her bed."
Queen could all but nod to her own words at the laughing and surprised looks on her friend's faces around the table. Hey; the news about Ming Ming had upset them. She couldn't hang out with them anymore, because she had to leave school for a month to attend some teen rehabilitation thing down town. It was messed up they knew, but, for now, the gossipy news of Mariam and Jemma's canoodling when Mariam had a handsome boyfriend was great comfort for the mind.
"So.. The blonde dude don't even know his woman is cheating on him with another chick?" James asked, his all-too-recognizable brain fart voice amused.
"He's got no idea." Queen mused, her gaze moving from Mariam's pale face up to her boyfriend's angelic one, his smile lighting up the room as he giggled boyishly at something Tyson across the table said to him.
"..But I plan to change that-" Was all Queen had a chance to say before the dinner bell caught everyone off guard and sent them back to their normal schoolish tasks.
On the walk towards Art class, Max spotted Julia walking the opposite way. Her round stomach was distinctly evident of the little fellow -or, lass- growing inside. Julia had her head tilted down while cradling her Home Ec cook book close to her chest.
"..Hey Jules.." Max said, stopping as well as his small attempt at hello using Julia's old nickname halted the pregnant girl's stride. She turned to him and forced out the most pathetic happy smile Max had ever seen.
"Hey, Maxie.." She murmured.
"..How you been?" Max continued, taking a few steps backward from his path to talk to his former admirer.
"..Okay, I guess..." Max noted how she placed a hand on her ever-expanding stomach.
"So.. How far along are you now?" The blonde boy asked. It was unusual for him to be around somebody he didn't like romantically and not know what to say to make things un-awkward.
"..Close to eight months... It seems like only last week I was six and a half... Time is just.. Flying." Julia said lowly, her eyes flicking to everyone in the hallway who either walked between the talking two or around them with curious glances.
"I see.." The former BladeBreaker muttered. "So... And I know you probably won't tell me this, but... Who's the father?"
Julia's eyes dropped downward quickly to meet her stomach since she couldn't see her feet. She didn't want anyone to mention him. No one should bring up Nathan... No one.
"..I really.. I really don't wanna say..." Max sighed softly as to not show too much of his disappointment and nodded.
"Whatever you think is best." Julia nodded with a small smile at his answer.
"Well.. I guess we should get to our classes.." She muttered. Oh yes! Max had completely forgotten where he was heading before the 'conversation' had begun.
"Ye-You're right, you're right. ....But Julia?" He said, stopping her from stepping away from him.
"Yes..?"
"..I'll always be here for ya, you know.. If you need me."
Julia's lips curved into an authentic smile.
"Thanks, Max. I'll see you later." And then she hurried off to her Home Ec, as Max did with his Art.
"Good job class. All your poems were very good. That buys you a homework-free night." Ms. Warren couldn't help smiling as the roar of whoops and sweet!s erupted from the English class seated before her. A few students even high-fived.
The teacher tilted her head, looking up at the clock on the wall behind her.
"Well boys and girls that's about it for today. Take the last few minutes to chat quietly." The 'quiet' chatting started up immediately, Micheal perhaps being one of the loudest.
"Oh oh yes.." Ms. Warren continued. "Mr. Parker? I would like to see you for a few minutes after the bell. You too, Mr. Wong."
Micheal froze. Lee just cocked an eyebrow and shrugged, a few others giving them weird looks.
She knew... He was gonna get busted... She knew...
A few minutes later and the bell rang for last period. Students picked up their books, their backpacks and all quickly filed out of the doorway. Lee and Micheal remained seated in their desks, looking upward at Ms. Warren. The teacher picked up two exercise books before walking to stand in front of their desks.
"Boys, these are your poems, correct?" She asked, flipping both notebooks open to the neat rows of stanzas.
"Yeah."
"Yup."
"I see. Well.... Would one of you like to tell me why these poems are so alike?"
"....." Micheal never answered, but Lee cocked an eyebrow.
"How are they alike? I wrote about adventures in traveling."
"And so did Micheal apparently."
Lee turned to Micheal quickly.
"You told me you were writing about baseball..." He trailed off, his golden eyes locked on Micheal accusingly.
"I-I was, but when I heard your idea it just sounded a lot better..." The AllStar said, turning his head away from Lee and back up towards Ms. Warren.
"I'm afraid it's not just idea theft that has happened here Micheal. These two poems are nearly identical in verse and rhyme scheme. I believe one of you plagiarized the other's poem."
Lee's jaw dropped.
"It sure as hell wasn't me!" He spat. "Micheal, you copied my poem!?"
"No! I swear I didn't... Maybe.. It's just a coincidence...?"
Ms. Warren sighed and snapped the exercise books shut.
"I'm going to have to report you both to the headmaster, so all this can be sorted out."
"But I didn't do anything!" Lee snarled. Micheal gulped.
"N-Neither did I, Missus!" He gulped.
Ms. Warren rolled her eyes.
"Go on to your next class boys."
With an angry glare in Micheal's direction, Lee snatched his backpack from the floor and stormed out of the classroom.
"Mariah! Where's my chai latte!?"
Mariah's raced through the backstage doors, one arm holding her schedule and other assorted files that Christavelle demanded she carry around all the time, while in her other hand Mariah held her boss's favorite chai latte from Star Bucks.
Her 5-inch heels making clicks against the cold linoleum floor, Mariah skittered over to Christavelle and thrust the coffee into her hands.
"You're late!" Christavelle barked. "Don't let it happen again!"
"Yes Christavelle, I promise it won't!" Mariah said, sweat beading on her tanned temple. Christavelle just sighed, agitated.
The fashion agency was a full-time job. Intern or not.
"Now did you send out the guest list reminders?" The tall woman asked Mariah, her supremely coiffed hair catching the glow of one of the fluorescent lights above.
"Yes Ma'm. Absolutely."
"Hm. Good. The show should go as planned, then." Mariah nodded.
"Anything else you need Ma'm?" Christavelle paused in her steps away from her ragged intern, and turned back to face her.
"..No. Not right now." Mariah nodded.
"I'll go start on your paperwork then." The pink-haired girl was about to turn away when her boss's voice stopped her.
"..No. Take the afternoon off."
Those words caught Mariah dead in her tracks. She turned.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
"Did I do something wrong???" The girl's eyes almost instantly lit up with fear. Christavelle watched them carefully. Christavelle always did. How Mariah's golden orbs brightened at the new clothes, glowed with warmth when she tended to the models backstage, and just illuminated with happiness on the day she got her paycheck.
She tried so hard; and she Loved every second of it.
"No, Mariah. You've just been working very hard lately. You... Deserve it. Go home to that boyfriend of your's."
".......Thank you, Christavelle."
Mariah turned back around slowly, a new emotion present in her large eyes.
It was such an element of surprise, that...
Christavelle decided that was the one she liked most.