One thing that I think needs to be clarified. Mulder did NOT sit in the freshmen side of the cafeteria because he had no friend. It's because I couldn't let him sit in chairs that could collapse any time! I know that some chairs in my school cafeteria's senior section collapsed just about two months ago, and God, that was hilarious, unless you're the person sitting in that chair. And many great seniors (fine, they're college freshmen now, but you get my point) sat in the freshmen side just because freshmen DO get the best chairs and tables! And in my school's case, they have the best lighting so you can get some homework done.

And a thank-you to Blacktrillium for pointing out that it's kinda awkward for Mulder to call Scully by her last name. My beta went through the chapter after she got back from her vacation, and she agreed on that one. So, that being fixed, I'm just gonna move on now!

Beyond Yesterday

It didn't take me long to get settled into the high school; it took me even less time to get used to my increasing workload. And it wasn't long before the classes become all mundane, gray and boring.

And it wasn't long before I found myself glancing at the clock during English class—which was fourth period, by the way—and hoping it would end soon so that I could hop into the cafeteria and find the answer to almost all of my questions.

***

One day during the last week of September, Anna was telling me that she switched her schedule around a bit just before the bell that signaled the end of fourth period rang. I was copying down the homework, and wasn't paying much attention to her until she was almost done talking.

 "…So I switched my gym and lunch period, and guess what?"

 "What?" I replied absent-mindedly.

 "We'll have the same lunch period from now on! Isn't that exciting?"

 "We'll have what?" I jerked my head up so suddenly that my neck hurt.

 "Same lunch period," she was looking at me in a funny way. "I know that you'd be glad, but I wasn't expecting a reaction like that."

 "Just surprised that you'd do that for me," I lied. None of my few close friends had the same lunch period with me; we only saw each other during classes. And I had enjoyed sitting with Mulder. He always sat and talked with me, and even gave me help with homework sometimes, if I asked him to. Not that I don't enjoy Anna's company—she had been a great friend all along, but I liked the way things were, and I didn't want any of it to change, not even in the slightest details.

The fifth period class was coming in, so we had to hurry up and move out. Once we were into the hallway, someone called Anna's name. She turned to see who it was, and when she turned back, her expression was one that I had never seen before, a mixture of being happy and vexed at the same time.

 "Who was it?" I asked.

 "My senior partner at the welcoming ceremony," she said with a slight smug on her face. "He said that he couldn't tell that I am a freshman when I told him that I was his partner. He then asked me if I was being held back!" She tilted her head back and laughed; somehow I connected the image of Anna laughing to the Weird Sisters in Macbeth. I frowned, and then shook my head, trying to clear the image and connection out of my brain.

But they were still there, and they refused to go away.

 "Well, you've always been great with boys," I said carelessly. Unlike me, I added silently. But she didn't need to hear that aloud; Anna had always known.

 "Yeah," she said, tossing her long, hazel hair. "Maybe I should give you a few lessons sometime, eh?"

 "No thanks."

We walked into the cafeteria, and I spotted someone waving in our direction in the senior section. "Is that your partner?" I asked Anna, and she turned to have a better look.

 "Yep. That's him alright. Come on," she said, grabbing my arm, just like before the welcoming ceremony. "We can go sit with the seniors! Wouldn't that be cool?"

I pulled my arm free and looked at the senior section. There weren't any other freshmen sitting over there. "I think I'll be more comfortable sitting in the freshmen section."

Anna put her hands on her hip and stared at me. "C'mon Dana, don't be such a chicken. It'll be fun."

 "I'll do with you another day," I replied firmly, glancing at the freshmen side. The table that Mulder and I usually occupied during this period was out of view, so I couldn't be sure if he was there or not.

 "Okay," Anna said, looking both disappointed and relieved. "I'll see you later, then."

 "Yeah, later." I watched her disappearing into the senior section, and then proceeded to the other side of the cafeteria.

Mulder was sitting at his usual table, munching on his sandwich and surveying the freshmen around him. I went over to him and sat down.

 "So it's been a month and you still haven't found your own empty table," he joked, swallowing the last bite.

 "No such luck," I said, taking out my lunch.

 "Was that your friend?" he nodded in the direction of the opposite side of the cafeteria.

 "Yeah. Best friend since sixth grade."

 "She's a freshman?"

 "Uh-huh."

 "Doesn't look like one. But appearance can be deceiving."

I laughed. "Half of the boys in ninth grade are after her."

 "Hmm. She doesn't seem like the type of person you'd hang out with."

I nearly choked on my sandwich. "What do you mean?"

 "I don't know… it's just weird. You know there are geek people and cheerleader people?"

 "Wait a minute Mulder… are you saying that I look like a geek and my friend looks like a cheerleader?"

He looked away. "I'm just saying that you two seem to be opposite side of the spectrum. Besides, you don't find a very good-looking geek everyday."

 "Thanks, Mulder."

 "You're welcome, Dana."

***

The next day during my lunch period, when Mulder was helping me answer the reading questions for The Metamorphosis, Anna decided to show up. She slapped her copy of the short story on the table so hard that I thought my orange juice was going to spill.

 "Remember what old Cooney said on the first day of class?" She didn't wait for my answer before she went on. "He said that he came to teach high school students because he wanted to remember what it was like to be young! Well, he hasn't been doing a great job, has he? I feel like I'm getting ten years older after this story!"

She stopped to take a deep breath, and then she spotted Mulder. She smiled the smile that I saw so many times during school dances when she saw someone good-looking enough in her standard, and my heart sank so fast and loud that I was surprised no one had noticed it.

And there was also something that was bugging me: I didn't know why I felt so depressed when Anna smiled Mulder; it just seemed—so wrong.

 "Hey there," she said in a naïve tone as she tried to squeeze in between us. "I've never seen you before; you new to this school?"

 "Anna, he's been spending more time here than the two of us combined!" I hissed at her, as I reluctantly shifted in the long bench to make space for her.

Her eyes widened as she came to realization. "You must be Dana's partner at the welcoming ceremony!" She exclaimed, and then barked a laugh. "How come you're sitting on the freshmen side of the cafeteria?"

Mulder only shrugged. "The lighting here is better for doing homework," he replied simply.

 "Sure," she was now studying him in a funny way that I didn't like at all. It was almost like she was a mountain lion and he was the rabbit she wanted for dinner tonight.

 "Do you want some help with those study questions?" Mulder said, picking up Anna's copy of The Metamorphosis and handed it to her. "I remember about every detail of this story; it was just so unique and interesting."

 "No way!" Anna exclaimed. "This story? Interesting? I don't see what's so interesting about a man turning into something like—an amoeba!"

 "It symbolizes his inability to survive in the society," I cut in, trying to remember Mulder's explanation when I asked him what he thought about the meaning of the transformation. "Being a vermin, or amoeba, as you put it, I mean." I added quickly when Anna glanced at me in that "you're talking in Greek here" way. Mulder gave me a thumb-up, and I grinned.

Anna opened her packet of study questions and looked into Mulder's eyes as she listened to his interpretation of the questions. What's wrong with this picture? I asked myself silently. The answer was obvious: Anna was here.

And I want her out of here right now, even when she was my best friend for the past three years.

The bell rang and Anna was so startled that her knees hit the table as she tried to get up. "Damn! And now I have to get to the other side of the building in five minutes!"

 "Don't stop at the bathroom and you won't be late," I said, picking up my notebook and stuffing it into my binder.

 "Easier to say than done," she muttered, and then turned to Mulder with the most brilliant smile on her face. "It's very nice meeting you—"

 "Mulder."

 "Mulder. Alright then, see you around later!"

She disappeared into the hallway, and I asked Mulder, "What do you think?"

 "Definitely the other side of the spectrum," he commented. "What do you have next?"

 "Me? Global History. What about you?"

 "Psychology. That's close to your classroom. We'd better get going."

 "Alright." I said, aiming my brown paper bag that had been crumpled into a ball at the closest trash can. "Bulls-eye!"

 "You should try out for the basketball team," Mulder suggested, chuckling in that deep, good-natured way I came to known and like so much.

 "I'm too short for that, just in case you haven't noticed." Now I felt much easier talking, with Anna out of sight. I knew that she was my best friend, but there was this feeling that I couldn't get rid off of. I kept feeling that she was going to steal Mulder away from me, like what I've watched her doing for the past three years.

And it made me feel even weirder because Mulder and I were just friends.

At least, that's what I told myself.

***

My beta said that I'm getting eviler and one day I might become just like my sister… ewwww… that's just... not right, and I have no interests in gossips in general.

Anyway, I need your opinion! What event should I use for the October chapter? Mulder's birthday, or Halloween? I can't do both because I have a habit of drawing story board for every story, and I'm running out of paper in my sketch book… Or is there a date in October that's even more important than those two?  Vote in the review! See you guys later!

Oh, and thanks for reading. I'm really, really sorry if you think I'm too mean to Scully, turning her best friend into a fiend. But since I went through that myself, I'll make sure that she'll come out alright in the end. =)