Come Monday Josie stood, lunchbox in hand, watching the "Weirdo Table", which was over by the tray drop-off and a really big garbage can, from a safe distance.

She looked at the Boo Crew, who had a view of the sculpture and plant filled quad, from the same equally safe distance. They were texting or touching up their makeup.

The Weirdo Table was flat out raucous. Was that REALLY Fugo from Orchestra getting a handful of khaki-colored peas dribbled down the back of his collar by some dopey looking kid with an orange headscarf? Josie squinted; and that had to be Mista glomming the kid with the orange headscarf's brownie right off his tray and shoving it into his mouth because the kid with the orange headscarf was too busy putting peas where peas didn't belong to notice?

Josie looked back at her usual table.

The Boos were cooly discussing what they were going to wear to the Homecoming Dance, Cleo making a point of looking disdainful about the whole thing.

Well, that was Cleo.

Anyway, Josie and Clawdeen had already picked out dresses from Goodwill and were figuring out how to make them into OOK fantasies.

Three of Clawdeen's younger brothers, freshmen, sat across from the Weirdo Table at the Jock Table pounding down the contents of three large lunchboxes.

Hmmmmmm, maybe? Twirling her hair, Josie smiled. Last night Mr. Wolf came in for dinner after a long afternoon yelling at everyone to. "Shut the hell up I'm tryna work here!" while going over Wolf Brothers Construction's latest bid proposals, and asked her between bites of Hamburger Helper, "Which litter are you from again?"

Which was strangely flattering.

She looked at the table again, and studied the Boos.

And then the Jocks.

Followed by the Weirdos.

Boos.

Jocks.

Weirdos.

Hmmmmmmm…

More than ready for a change of scene after the weekend's social disaster, Josie quickly parked it between Fugo and orange headscarf before she lost her nerve, though she was still a teeny bit nervous about Fugo after seeing what he did to the Biology teacher and the Biology lab, but after an afternoon of rehearsing with him for Spring District Competitions, she understood that maybe she'd misjudged the strawberry blonde.

Anyway, the loud, rough and tumble Weirdo Table even if it kinda reeked of werewolf musk and too much AXE was a welcome break. The Boos could be nice, but they weren't her friends, they were Maggie's.

This got pounded home after Aunt Raina's birthday girl's day out that ended at the all-you-can-eat Cantonese buffet when the Boos went to see the new movie at the Mall's multiplex, Awaken My Masters! that Frankie and Melody were soooooo excited about because it was the first all-RAD movie as well as an Indiana Jones spoof, all the way down to the big, rolling rock.

Which had its own star billing. Who knew?

Afterwards, the Boos piled into Draculaura's new black Tesla, giggling about the villains, Aztec-looking superhumans referred to as 'Pillarmen' and how haaaawwwt they were all greased up in nothing but loincloths. Excited, Josie blurted out, "I get it, they're hot, but they're just shoggoths. That's not even their natural shape!"

This got her funny looks.

A LOT of funny looks.

From everyone.

Plus a smirk from Cleo. (And a dainty cough which sounded suspiciously like, "Racist!")

Followed by uncomfortable silence as Josie attempted to explain Lovecraftian horror until Maggie abruptly changed the subject to Jacklyn Hill's latest lipstick fiasco.

Because Jacklyn didn't learn the first time.

Things settled down until Josie accidentally outed herself as bi during a game of Truth or Dare sometime around two a.m., killing the mood instantly, leaving Cleo, who'd outed her, with something ELSE to smirk about.

This morning during P.E., Draculaura discreetly mentioned that she no longer wanted to have sleepovers with her.

Oh.

Time to make new friends: to Josie's left, gaping at her bold space invasion, was Giorno. He was nice! Across from her was Guido, Clawdeen's boyfriend. (Cleo hated Guido. Guido was never going to be rich, but Clawdeen didn't seem to care.)

Then there was "dopey orange headscarf guy" whose hair looked like it'd been used to clean the cafeteria kitchen floor.

He stared at her, one hand full of nasty peas, oblivious to the brownie crumbs on Mista's face. Josie giggled when Mista said, "Yo, Fugo! Narancia's droppin' peas down your collar again!"

Oh, so THAT'S Narancia! Rumor had it Narancia couldn't read but he was still in track, cheer, dance, drumline, HVAC, and who knows what else.

Josie wrinkled her nose.

Ew, and he smelled.

Still, sitting between Giorno and Fugo, getting weird stares on all sides was better than, well, eating lunch with the Boos.

Even if there was a risk of peas.

Great, now what? Josie thought as Puck stalked past the Weirdo Table without so much a glance at Josie or anybody else, cat-ears flattened, calico tail twitching at the tip.

Josie murmured in the sudden silence, "Sorry about my sister. She's even worse at home."

Followed by even more silence.

Narancia got things going again by blurting out, "Your sister's a bitch. A B-I-T-C-H." Complete with appropriate hand waves, eye rolls, and head nods.

Mista whopped him upside the head as the rest laughed.

Blushing, Josie closed her lunch box and got up to leave.

"Sit down, okay?" Fugo said, adding, "She's not you."

"Really?" Josie complied. She pulled out her notepad and pen. She'd already scratched out her first impression of the strawberry blond after that rehearsal. He was nicer than he looked.

"Not your fault she's got her tail up her ass." Fugo smirked, the rest of the table howled.

Josie opened her lunch box, saying once they quieted down. "I don't get it." She gestured at the boys, and then at the rest of the room, "Why are all of you at THIS table?"

"Welcome to downtown Freakville, where everyone is too normal to be in SpEd, but too weird not to be a target." Narancia spread his arms out wide, "Fugo here's got an IQ of 180 but won't take a chill pill. I turn into a Chihuahua every full moon and live in a shed. Giorno, here, has two dads and Guido?" Narancia jabbed a thumb at the biggest boy, "Guido's afraid of the number-"

"NO!" Guido Mista shouted, slamming his large, hairy hands on the table making everyone's trays rattle, "We do NOT discuss that number!"

"What number?" Josie raised an eyebrow, poised to scribble down new information as Mista ran a hand through his unruly dark curls.

Grinning, Narancia leaned across the table towards Josie, shielding his mouth with his hand from the linebacker loudly goose-honking, "Four – haw-haw-haw!"

"Narancia, you FUCKFACE!"

"That's enough noise, Guido. Narancia, you too." said Officer Abbaccio as he strolled past with his ever-present bucket sized mug of coffee and something that looked like a heavy-duty taco. The boys instantly settled down looking like something was on their minds. Josie fidgeted uncomfortably, "Should I leave or-"

"Are you… black?"

"Narancia, NO!" Mista clapped a hand over Narancia's mouth, "Don't talk shi—"

"Yo," Giorno interrupted Mista, "Valid question."

"Okay, so, why are ya black—"

Mista snarled, "Narancia, you can't just ask why people aren't white. It's like asking somebody what kind of RAD they are: it's a fuckin' dick move!"

"Yeah, I'm black." Josie glanced down at her light brown hands, "Well, half. What about it?"

"Well…" Giorno said, fidgeting with one of his hand-turned pens, "Ya see…."

"…what he means is, if Puck and Maggie, your sisters, are both white, and obviously RADS, and in the same year as you… and you don't have a… tail…" Blushing, Fugo awkwardly fumbled with his illicit Juul, mumbling, "Or… ears…?" He gestured vaguely at the top of his head.

Josie stared him down, "So?"

"So logic says you're white." Fugo said, putting the Juul away, adding, "But you're not. I mean, white? All white? Sort of black? And a… RAD? Maybe?"

"Yes." Josie agreed cautiously. Uncle Mike warned her that this might happen and to watch how she handled herself. What the hell were they after? "I'm a RAD."

"Ok. So, why are you black, then? Well, half. And, why don't you have a tail, like them?" Fugo asked, folding his hands and resting his chin on them. "I know, rude, but I'm genuinely curious."

"Yeah, I'm part RAD." Josie picked up her PB and J to mask a sudden rush of anger which made her hands shake, "But we don't know what kind. Mom was sorta RAD, but she could pass.

Whatever she was, she could make like a cat and have mixed litters, so we're fraternal triplets."

Somewhere, the voice that sounded like Puck, her mother, sniggered, "Liar."

She bit down on the sandwich. Hard.

"Liar."

Chewed hard.

"Pants on fire!"

And swallowed hard.

"You know the truth, say it! Say it!"

Aware that they were all staring at her, Josie put her sandwich down. It would look awful dumb if she got up and left.

Sooooo… Josie took a deep breath and said angrily, "Mom lost custody when we were toddlers – Uncle Mike… I mean Officer Schmidt," she vaguely waved at where Officer Schmidt was busy putting up an anti-drug poster at Principal Bucciarati's request, "He and Aunt Raina are all I remember. And you're right, I don't have a tail, or ears shaped like my sisters. What. About. It?"

"Are you gonna play the game with them too?" Mama's voice jeered. "You' ain't nothing but a lump of crap they pulled outta me – none of this happened to you!"

Josie stared them all down, silently daring them to tell her to leave or something.

"Shut up, Mama!"

"Officer Schmidt's your uncle? He's the dude who splatted the shit outta that asshole shooter - cool!" Narancia, now practicing "Spider" on the cafeteria table and the back of Mista's head with a well-worn set of drumsticks exclaimed. Frowning, he paused mid-beat, "Yo Mista, pendejo! Did them truck parts come last night?"

Oh.