The BSC Legacy – Book 4: Adolescence Passing
By: CNJ
PG-13
3: New Improved Cafeteria Food, Anyone?
Kristy:
Hard to believe we're seniors. The biggest kids in school. Almost adults.
I guess that's why Mary Anne and I got the crazy idea to do something wild for the hell of it.
Thank heavens seniors have off-campus lunch. We mapped out a wacky idea on the way back to SHS that late September.
The cafeteria, though it means well, tries to pass off stuff as food. So after school, Mary Anne came over to my place and we made signs that were more accurate descriptions of the cafeteria's excuse for food. Vomit loaf for meat loaf.
"Chicken-guts mignon," Mary Anne snickered with a kind of almost snort.
"Too gross," I laughed. "We'd get sued or something if somebody threw up for real. How 'bout chickens' foot mignon?"
"Guess it's better," Mary Anne nodded.
We had fun with the little signs. We made one bigger one saying, And now...the truth about this stuff that tried to pass itself off as cafeteria food! Here it is!
Since we have the first period free, Mary Anne and I slipped into the cafeteria and posted the signs up surreptitiously...
It worked. Kids were laughing and pointing, then eventually the whole cafeteria cracked up, including the BSC. We were eating on campus so we could see the reactions.
By the end of lunch hour, the cafeteria was roaring and my friends and I did high-fives. Other kids chimed in with their own "creations" and made us all laugh more.
The servers peered at us from the kitchen, I guess bewildered as to why everyone was laughing, then edged out and peered around, trying to find out what was so funny. I guess they couldn't figure out what it was, so they retreated.
That made me laugh so hard, I let out several belches. Mary Anne sucked in her breath with a loud whoop, then cracked up so hard her cheeks turned red.
"Way to go!" Some called over to us.
"The great cafeteria food expose!" Caitlin Giotti crowed.
We were so busy having a great time that we didn't hear Ms. Wilfrey, the head cashier, come up behind us until she stood over our table.
"Kristin Thomas and Mary Anne Spier?" she drawled.
Our laughter slowed and Mary Anne gave a startled yelp.
"Oh...we...uh..." Mary Anne's cheeks turned an embarrassed bright red and she tried to keep her eyes from straying over to our signs.
"I supposed this is your idea of a joke?" Ms. Wilfrey glared at her, then looked around for me.
"I'm Kristy," I admitted. "It's just a harmless joke. You know being seniors and all..."
But Ms. Wilfrey wasn't amused...
Stacey:
Oh, my...God. Ms. Wilfrey was not amused.
She took Mary Anne and Kristy before the Student Mediation and it was a good thing I was on their "jury." Ms. Silverbein was one of the "judges" along with two other teachers.
They're never in trouble. Kristy has a wild streak, but basically stays out of trouble and Mary Anne never gets into trouble. I just hope Ms. Wilfrey could see that and give them a break.
It was Ms. Silverbein who brought the cashier and Mary Anne and Kristy into the mediation room after school.
It's usually a half-hour session with students rotating "jury duty" and teachers rotating "judge" duty. It's almost like a real-life courtroom that SHS started last year to cut down on conflicts getting out of hand.
It's been effective; in the past year, the number of fistfights has gone way down and students seem more willing to work out conflicts. It's also cut down violence in school a lot, which is a relief. Ms. Silverbein is the one who got it started and she's done a great job keeping it going.
"I must say," Ms. Wilfrey snarled when she had her say. "They embarrassed us and maybe the school when they put these..." she smacked the cardboard signs down on the table. "OBSCENITIES in my cafeteria!"
We looked at the signs and some of us cracked up again. I had to press my lips together to stifle a laugh myself.
Ms. Wilfrey glowered at me a second before looking back at Ms. Silverbein. I guess because she knows I'm friends with Kristy and Mary Anne, I realized.
The signs were very creative, actually. I think even Ms. Silverbein's mouth twitched, even though she was trying to look serious.
"This is not amusing," Ms. Wilfrey snapped. "Disgracing the cafeteria and the school this way...this desecration!"
"Kristy...Mary Anne?" Ms. Silverbein looked over at them. "Do you have anything you want to say?"
"Not in our defense, really," Kristy told her. "It was kind of idiotic, what we did. At the time, it seemed funny."
"Mary Anne, I must say I'm surprised at you," Ms. Silverbein added.
"I'm...I'm so sorry, Ms. Silverbein...Ms. Wilfrey," Mary Anne blushed a deeper red. "I know it was wrong and Kristy and I are willing to accept the consequences." We deliberated a little more.
"They didn't damage any property," I put in.
Tad Tiler and Karen Bucwali nodded.
"I think Ms. Wilfrey overreacted," Marcy Rostein put in.
We wanted to acquit them, but since they'd admitted it, there had to be some retribution.
"I'm actually for giving them something light myself, " Ms. Silverbein put in and two other teachers nodded. "Something to show Ms. Wilfrey how sorry they are, but not punitive."
"Right," Ms. Buchwald agreed.
In the end, we all decided that they were to dish out cafeteria ick for three days. And Mary Anne and Kristy nodded in agreement when they heard the verdict.
It was a relief that they didn't get into too much trouble and Ms. Silverbein wasn't even upset; I suspect if she'd been in the cafeteria, she would have cracked up like the rest of us.
The next day, kids were breaking up again, this time in the line. We looked up and sure enough, Kristy and Mary Anne were there, dishing out the food. They also wore these HILARIOUS aprons that said, Kiss these servers! They also baby-sit and love kids!
"Chow time!" both of them hollered, then laughed along with everyone else as they dished out the food.
Never a dull lunch hour with those two!