Here is the second chapter of my story... I hope you people enjoyed the last chapter. I really want the story to progress more and I hope I get more reviews, heh! Heh! But seriously, I want the story to be the best it can be. In this chapter the students will experience their first day of school, they will meet their old classmates and start their fourth grade. How do you think they will react, seeing their old classmates once more? Dewey will come soon enough into the story, but I don't exactly know when to put him in. I really want to get this story going, because the idea is still fresh in my mind, and I think it is a rather good storyline, but it is really hard to do so!!! Hey wait, I have a question. Is Lawrence Chinese or Japanese? Due to popular demand, one review anyway, I will be doing a Lawrence thing in this chapter, I guess. Anyway, please enjoy the story and don't forget to review.
Chapter2
The Horrible Taste of What is yet to Come
Katie and Zack pushed open the wooden doors of Horace Green. They weren't late, yet they weren't early as well. A lot of students were already there, yet they didn't see anyone from their grade, much less anyone who liked them. They saw many of the older students, those popular, those who wouldn't give the time of day to either Zack or Katie, and those who just got lost within the sea of the different students.
"The school doesn't look all that different, does it now?" Katie said as they gazed at the wide hallway. Many other students bustled and ran to each other in welcome, happy to see their old classmates, ignoring Katie and Zack who were just standing in the middle of the hallway.
"No," he answered, mouth agape, "There's still that threatening, uniformity thing going on..." he muttered sardonically. Katie laughed at his attempt at sarcasm, "I'm not all that thrilled about seeing some certain people again. I wouldn't mind seeing Summer and Lawrence again, I guess. They are probably the only two people in this school worth shooting..."
"I know what you mean," she agreed, they began to walk to their locker assignments. The small paper with the locker combination was given to them a few weeks ago, when they were given their new books and uniforms. Apparently the lockers assigned to them were next to each other, "I'm not all that thrilled about seeing Michelle and Marta." The two were rather supercilious to Katie.
"Yeah, I'm not really going to enjoy seeing Freddy or Frankie," greed Zack, he was usually subject to their torment, "Oh yeah and Ms. Mullins, I can't wait for her to grace us with her presence in class." he murmured sarcastically.
"You know, I would have never guessed that you were the sarcastic type," Katie said smiling. They reached their lockers and Zack deposited his skateboard inside, "Let's get to class," as they were assigned in the same classroom.
They arrived at the classroom, slightly early, since the teacher wasn't there yet, although most of the students had arrived already and were busy speaking with their friends. As they entered the room, they first saw Summer, who was in her usual front-row seat, looking as prim and neat as humanly possible, but the moment she saw the two walk in; she jumped up in haste, "Katie! Zack!"
She jumped up to greet them. She gave Katie, who was much taller than her, a huge hug, and smiled widely at Zack, "I missed you guys over the summer," she said, practically beaming, "How were your vacations?"
"We went to Europe, it was great!" said Katie excitedly, as she did just see her closest friend, "We went to Rome, Milan, and Paris! It was completely excellent." She lowered her voice so the other students wouldn't hear her, and she and her friends returned to their seats. Summer sat in front of Katie, who sat beside Zack.
"Mine was nothing much," admitted Zack, "My dad brought me to all these museums," he said plainly, "It wasn't much of an experience if you ask me..."
"I wouldn't imagine that it would have been," Summer interjected, "We went to Japan, and I learned how to use chopsticks!" Summer gushed as if it was such a huge accomplishment. Zack and Katie just shook their heads in mock exasperation, knowledgeable of Summer's 'know-it-all mentality'.
"So, who is here already?" Zack asked Summer.
Before she could reply a coarser voice cut in the conversation, "Hey Mooneyham!" Zack visibly cringed as he heard that voice yell out those two words, which he did hear quite often, knowing full well who it belonged to.
"I guess that, that answers my question," he muttered exasperatedly, "What do you want now Frankie?" He turned to face the owner of the voice which had yelled at him. It was Frankie, probably the biggest boy in class.
"You're still hanging out with pansy girls Mooneyham?" Frankie taunted, towering over the sitting Zack, "I wouldn't doubt it if you would soon become one!" He belted out a laugh at his joke, it would have been a great insult, yet the deliverance and comedic timing were off.
"Oh yeah Frankie, and Freddy Jones is just the most upstanding student in Horace Green," Katie snapped at Frankie, catching him slightly off-guard, defending her friend, but Frankie, surprisingly not as slow as he had been, caught up quick.
"No, that would be Miss Stuck-Up Summer!" he shot back, "And besides, I'd rather be like Freddy than you three wet blankets! I bet you would never dare cross a teacher!" He teased the three of them singularly.
"I am not stuck-up!" complained Summer angrily, "You... You... You jerk!" Katie and Zack cringed at the lame comeback, yet said nothing to Summer, she appeared to be seething with rage at this point.
"Jeez Hathaway!" yelled Frankie in happy exasperation, "You can't even insult a person properly! I bet none of you can even bring yourselves to say a bad word!" His voice was completely challenging.
"Shut the hell up Frankie!" Zack yelled to him with a rare burst of raw energy, catching the attention of some of the other students in the classroom. Most of them were surprised at the sudden outburst, much less that it came from Zack Mooneyham.
Frankie was shocked, but then he let out a smile, "Maybe you aren't that bad after all, Mooneyham." He returned to his seat in the last row. They three were clearly relieved. After a moment or so, another face appeared. It was Lawrence, another good friend and a rather tall guy.
"Hey Lawrence," greeted Zack, he stood up and shook hands with him. The girls greeted him as well, "How have you been man?"
"I am okay," he than raised an eyebrow, "I noticed that you had a little run in with Frankie... What happened?" He asked them, the three all sighed simultaneously as they remembered the newly passed event.
"Nothing much," Summer replied angrily, "But he did call me stuck-up, said that Zack was going to turn into a girl, and that we were all wet blankets!" She ticked them off her finger in annoyance. Lawrence nodded in sympathy.
"It wasn't that bad actually," Katie admitted, "I mean, Freddy would have done much worse..." They nodded in agreement.
"What?" a new voice poked in, "Who said my name?" Of course, it was Freddy Jones. His slicked back hair slightly disheveled, and his uniform had a bit of mud streaked on it, not to mention a rather forming bruise on his forehead, "Why were you guys talking about me, I mean, not that I have to ask, since I know that my influence reaches even the remotest people in the class!" He snapped sardonically.
"Nothing," Summer said in the sweetest tone she could manage, without spilling out her insides, "We were just contemplating on what big jerks you and Frankie are!" She said with an ominously sugary smile. The other three had to contain in their laughter.
He gave her a calculating glare, but then shrugged lazily and flashed, for the very first time in the new school year, his legendary and trademark smirk, "I'll take that as a compliment," he walked to the back of the classroom and plopped down on the seat next to Frankie, the two began to talk animatedly, most likely plotting something against a classmate or two.
After I got up from the lamppost I hurried away, knowing full well that if I didn't hurry, I'd be late. Now, the teachers didn't give demerits to you on the first day, but I didn't really want any other extra junk filling up my permanent record.
So, I rushed it on my skateboard, thankfully not wiping out or ramming into any other lampposts. I got to school, rushed to my locker; rammed my skateboard inside; after fiddling for the combination, and then I went inside my fourth grade classroom.
As I arrived near the classroom door, I heard someone say, "...I mean, Freddy would have done much worse..." I was curious, who said it and what did they mean. I didn't really like people talking about me behind my back... it made me suspicious.
So, I did the only logical thing in my mind and asked, "What...? Who said my name?" as I entered the classroom. Of course, not to sound so jittery, I had to come up with a smooth comeback, "Why were you guys talking about me, I mean, not that I have to ask, since I know that my influence reaches even the remotest people in the class!" pretty smooth huh? When you talk to people, even if you are barely making sense or telling the truth, when you are smooth, you bowl them over. And I, am very smooth...
Deliverance is everything.
The people who were talking about me, were the remotest kids in my class, hence they were Summer, Zack, Lawrence, and Katie.
Argh, That girl again! She made me crash into that stupid lamppost. The other, much smaller girl, Summer was talking to me, something about me being a jerk. Of course, you have to keep your cool, you still have to be smooth; even if you barely comprehend what the person speaking to you is saying.
So, I, being the slick and suave Freddy Jones, say in response, "I'll take that as a compliment." How smooth can you get!?
But then as I walked back to my seat, delighted at their frustration, my thoughts strayed back to Katie. Even as I was talking to Frankie, barely hearing what he was saying as well, but keeping my composure on, I was watching her at the corner of my eye. A sudden burst of pure interest of the tall girl popped up inside my head as I saw her talking quietly to her friends.
I was talking to Frankie, not really knowing what we were talking about or what I was replying to him, yet somehow he didn't notice, he wasn't exactly as smart as I was, but he made up for it in size. He was probably my only friend in the class.
I was thinking... not usually a good sign...
Logical thinking was for people like Zack Mooneyham, or Summer Hathaway. Not many people thought that I, Freddy Jones thought, but I did, although logic didn't usually comprehend into my brain.
I liked to think, I won't admit it, but yeah, I do like thinking. I thought of school sometimes, when I actually cared. I thought of days without school. I thought of fast cars. I thought of music. I thought of girls, yet Katie didn't seem to be like the ones I thought of. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in the school, but she was intriguing, I doubt that legions of boys fell head over heels in love with her...
Wait! Head over heels in love? What the hell am I thinking? I have got to stop listening to Mom when she reenacts her soap operas...
But then why was I thinking about her, it seemed that she managed to etch into my brain without me knowing it. It was as if I couldn't stop thinking about her. I told myself that I wanted to stop, and I forced my brain to do so, yet I couldn't, perhaps subconsciously I did want to think about her, but of course, I would never admit to myself, much less anyone else, that I wanted to think about Katie. It just wasn't me...
Was all this just because of one stupid picture?
Lawrence sighed as he entered the classroom. He was ready for a day full of fun-filled learning, and was trying to prepare himself for what the bullies had in store for him. He reached the door and slowly twisted the doorknob. Lawrence wasn't late, he never was.
As he opened the door to a crack, he saw his, possibly only, friends being harassed by Frankie, the only kid in class who was probably larger than Lawrence. He greatly disliked Frankie, He wasn't nearly as bad as his friend Freddy Jones, yet somehow Frankie usually targeted on Lawrence while Freddy terrorized other students.
Lawrence had no idea why they were so popular...
Where did that leave him? He knew full well what they thought of him, he was the 'weird-Asian-kid-who-can't-speak-English-well-but-he-is-just-as- much-of-a-killjoy-as-Summer-is'.' It seemed that even on his first day that everyone saw him. He wanted to prove them wrong, yet in a way, he knew that they weren't exactly lying, yet they didn't hit the nail dead on the head.
Hey, every typical kid story needed their Asian kid, right?
Lawrence sighed once more, he seemed to be doing a lot of that for the past school years, but he didn't have a trademark sigh. He wasn't cool enough to have a trademark anything. Ms. Mullins had her trademark look of reprimanding, Freddy had his trademark smirk, Alicia had her trademark grin, and even Zack had his trademark sullenness!
But no, Lawrence was lost within the sea of all the other students, trademark-less...
Just after two minutes or so, after Freddy graced the class with his presence, their teacher came into the room; it was Miss Dunham, a youngish old teacher who did everything according to the rules, which is how a teacher should behave, actually.
"Good morning class," She smiled a sickly sweet smile at the class, making them all cringe, "Welcome to the fourth grade, I will be your teacher, Ms. Dunham," her voice was completely sugar-coated, "Now, we will all go around and introduce ourselves, go to the front of the class and say your name and say something about yourself like a few of your interests or who your best friend is, then you pick someone to go up and do the same thing," She then walked in front of her desk, "I'll start!" she squealed.
"I am Miss Dunham," She said, her mouth a foot wide, "I am a teacher here at Horace Green," she gave a small giggle, "I like my job, I like to ski, and I love children," she told them, "I am allergic to tomatoes and fish," She told them, "Who wants to go next?" she scanned the class of uneager faces, "How about you?"
She pointed to Summer, who was rather eager actually. She bounded up from her front row seat and faced her fellow classmate, "I'm Summer Hathaway," she said, not contemplating on the fact that they already knew who she was, "I like attending school, and doing schoolwork. My best friend is Katie," She said, "Who will be going next." She smiled primly and walked back to her seat.
Katie groaned silently and gave a Summer a mocking glare. She walked to the front of her class and forced a quick smile, "My name is Katie," She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, well, in the class anyway, "I play the cello, and I like to read and write," She scrutinized the class with her dark brown eyes, "Zack."
He grunted softly and pretty much looked exasperated, "My name is Zack Mooneyham," a few snickers went around in the class, "I play classical guitar and I also like to read and write," His sullenness returned, "Lawrence."
"My name is Lawrence," the Asian boy scuttled to the front of the class, "I enjoy playing the piano and I like going to school, my favorite subject is Science," Audible snickers were heard at the back of the room, "Billy."
A much smaller boy, practically frolicked to the front of the classroom, and they could have sworn that they saw Ms. Dunham's eyebrow twitch, "Hi! My name is Billy," he said, practically beaming, "I like drawing and clothes," a few people's jaws were agape and very audible snickers were heard from the back, even the corners of Miss Dunham's mouth were quirking, "Gordon!" He pranced back to his seat.
"Hi... my name is Gordon..."
The introductions continued on and on, it seemed like an eternity to me! I mean, I've known all these people ever since the first grade, some I knew way back from kindergarten! I was probably going to be called last. Most people are threatened by me, I don't really know if I should be honored or worried.
After Summer, who was nearly as preppy as Ms. Dunham, Katie went up. He groaned under his breath, why did she have to be her next, especially during the time he was thinking? She stepped up and said, "...My name is Katie... I play the cello, and I like to read and write...Zack..." Her long finger twiddled in an unsightly manner.
Suddenly I shot up in my seat, thankfully I went unnoticed by my classmates even by Frankie, making any jerking movements isn't exactly the smoothest move you can pull of in class. She called Mooneyham! I felt my hands ball into fists. I bit my lip to prevent me from lashing out.
Speaking of smoothness, I was thinking of starting this thing, Freddy Jones's Smoothness 101. Frankie's already bought into it, and I'm sure a couple of desperate guys will want in as well.
Now we go back to what I was saying... I was suspicious once again. Did Katie like Mooneyham? She wouldn't, would she? He wasn't even good-looking! I look way handsomer and cooler than lousy, old Mooneyham! Wait! What the hell am I thinking of now?
Am I actually jealous? No, Freddy Jones does not get jealous, especially when Zack Mooneyham was involved. Argh! What am I doing? I never refer to myself in the third person? What is that girl doing to me?
Actually, the chances of me and her getting together were as thin as a sheet of paper. It hadn't helped that I tormented her each week, ever since I knew her. I wondered why these strange emotions were surfacing now.
I was still rather agitated, but I forced myself to calm down a bit. Katie was sitting down and Mooneyham was finishing up, he called Lawrence, the goofy Asian dude. I was contented to studying the girl for a while.
She was taller than all of the girls in the class, but she was slimmer than Tomika who was probably nonetheless her height as well. She was as tall or possibly an inch or so taller than me. Her dark hair reached her shoulders, curling softly. Her back was hunched as she leaned forward in her desk, although her posture was usually erect.
I looked away from her and forced myself to the unsightly mole on the back of Leonard's neck. It was disgusting, but it was probably all I could actually handle. I actually noticed that Frankie had left his seat and that he was up in the front, introducing himself. After he was done he said, "Freddy."
Freddy groaned loudly and earned a rather reprimanding look from Miss Dunham. He was indeed the last to get called to the front of the classroom. He got up lazily and swaggered to the front of the classroom. He flashed his trademark smirk and a few of the girls gushed, "Hey, name's Freddy Jones," he flashed another smile, "I like listening to music and I have a skateboard." Yes, lame, I can accept that, but I think that all my creativity washed away with all those adjectives I used to describe that blasted girl with!
I waited in my seat as Summer was finished talking, she called me, much to my displeasure. I stood up unwillingly and said, probably the lamest thing in the world, "...My name is Katie... I play the cello, and I like to read and write... Zack..."
I wanted to call him so much, yet somehow I knew that I couldn't. It was like an unwritten law of the class, a girl like me shouldn't call the boy she had a crush on, or else, well, he would find out sooner or later, and that would either complicate things or make them clearer.
Either way, I wasn't going to take the risk.
I waited and waited for him to be called and for him to step up and talk. I wanted to hear his voice again. I wanted to hear his nice and rich tone. I wanted to see his handsome face and lovely hair. But I was cautious not to show my eagerness After all I had a brooding image to keep up, just like he had an image to keep up...
I liked who he was, and yet I wish he was a bit nicer to me and my friends. I mean, I know that we aren't the coolest people in the school. But is it extremely hard to just leave some people, whom you don't like, alone?
Not that I want him to completely forget about me! It's kinda exhilarating, knowing that a boy you like pays attention to you, even if the attention he gives you isn't exactly the nicest or most charming. He torments me not only during the day, but he is all I think of at night.
So, basically, I am saying that I want him to stop heckling me and my friends, but in a way I don't want him to stop, knowing completely that if he didn't torment me, he would leave me alone and forget about me. He's probably going to find some new group to harass.
I don't even know what I am saying anymore...
I watched as Freddy was finishing up, since he was the last to introduce himself, I was extremely bored. I watched Freddy lazily, "Hey, name's Freddy Jones... I like listening to music and I have a skateboard." He used his patented Freddy Jones smiles and smirks for like five times in those two sentences.
As much as I hated Freddy, I admired him. I didn't admire him because of his supposed 'coolness.' I admired him for his boldness and his skills, relating to people and to smoothness. But, I think I got on his bad side fast, when I found him in the bathroom a year ago.
I was really itching to go to the bathroom, and for some reason, the teacher seemed to enjoy prolonging my agony. After ten minutes into the class, she finally let me go. I ran down the hallway, but as I reached the bathroom door, I halted. It was slightly ajar, and I heard a voice coming out of it.
"You're so pretty! Yes, you are!" I recognized that voice, "You're slick, smooth, and suave! You are the coolest guy in all of Horace Green, yes you are!" I peeped in and saw some blonde kid, posing in front of the bathroom mirror; he kept combing his hair and crooning.
I stiffly walked into the bathroom, planning my comedic timing. As I entered the bathroom, I found out that I had just walked in a "Freddy Jones Ego-Boosting Session," "So, Freddy, do you come here often?"
He looked flabbergasted and bemused. His face was contorted in shock, "Mooneyham! What are you doing here?" I found him with a comb in his hand and his hair especially shiny and slicked back.
"Well, it was rather obvious to say what you were doing," Freddy just stared at him in angry shock, "Now I know the secret to your spellbinding charm and flawless hair!" He laughed, quoting some girls who were talking a bit too loudly during class.
Freddy didn't say anything, but the rage in his eyes spoke loud enough. Without a word he ran to Zack and rammed him against the bathroom wall, "If you say anything Mooneyham, I swear that I will pulverize you!" He threatened.
I coughed loudly, but then I grinned sardonically, without contemplating my current position, "Well you know," I choked out, "It isn't you who has the leverage over me, but it is I," I coughed, "If I tell, you will pound me, but even if you do, you'll go crash and burn, loosing all your beloved fans. You pound me, the pain lasts a few weeks, a month at the most, but the pain I will be able to bring to you, will scar you for eternity! If I fall, I bring you down with me and use you to break my fall!"
Pretty big words, for a pretty small kid...
It wasn't exactly like me to threaten someone like this, But this was Freddy Jones, finally I had complete leverage over the kid I hated the most. I had almost forgotten about needing the toilet. I gave him a challenging grin, and he released me unwillingly, "Fine do your business Mooneyham and get out of my sight!" he roughly let go of me and trudged back to the classroom.
I was happy with myself, and then I was relieved as I 'did my business.' Finally, Zack Mooneyham, the quiet, introverted boy, had something big over big, bad Freddy Jones. I bet Freddy never expected me to threaten him.
And well, neither did I...
Well, my great accomplishment didn't last very long. Apparently, Freddy had been scheming for sometime. So, a few days after I had discovered his little secret, he came out with it, in a very big way.
He posted something up on the bulletin board. It read, "Have you ever wondered the secret to Freddy Jones's..." After that line, his gigantic head was placed below, smiling in all its arrogant glory, "...spellbinding charm and flawless hair?"
He just had to mock me...
"...Well wonder no longer! If you truly wish to discover Freddy Jones, come to the Boys Bathroom, a quarter before four..."
I guess it was too good to be true...
"Alright class!" Ms. Dunham said as she clapped her hands enthusiastically, "Now that we all know each other, let's start on our first project!" Most of the students, Summer and Lawrence excluded, dropped their jaws, most teachers laid off on the schoolwork until the second week, "The three topics are, "The Solar System and Beyond," "Mythology," and "The Greatest Geniuses of Time."
"Excellent!" She gushed once more, "Now in this science project you are supposed to pick a subject from this hat," She somehow conjured up a hat without them noticing, "I will group you into fives and you will pick a representative to come and pick from the hat."
"Okay, the first group," She said happily, "Next are Tomika, Michelle, Marta, Billy, and Frankie," frowns were the result of this group, but Miss Dunham didn't notice, "Alicia, Eleni, Leonard, Gordon, and Marco," Lawrence eye twitched at the set of names, "and of course, Summer, Katie, Zack, Lawrence, and Freddy," Each of their two eyes bulged out and inward groans occurred simultaneously.
Ms. Dunham gave a loud squeal, "Don't you just love your pairings!?" Her high-pitched voice, forced Zack to restrain himself from bringing up his muesli breakfast, "Now, with your group, set your desks so that you are facing each other. Then you must pick a representative to go up to the board, where I will be with the hat, and he or she will reach in and pick out the topic you will be reporting on!" Each word hit a higher note.
Grumbling was heard in the midst of the squeaking desks as they were moved place to place. Freddy, who was the only one in the group who didn't sit in the area where the other four sat, had to grudgingly drag his desk over to where they were sitting. They were seated near the front hence a lot of dragging was involved.
He forcefully pushed his desk when he was a foot away, banging it right in between Zack's and Katie's, but of course, why would he care? Disregarding the anathema circulating through the surrounding desks, all forcefully directed at him, he plopped right onto his wooden desk, regretting it immediately as the hard wood made contact. Yet he refused to show his pain to these...mortals...
"So, Hathaway," He spoke rudely, "Why don't you just get up and pick from the hat like teacher said?" Summer gave him her worst glare. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes, before dropping his head on his desk, "Oh come on! We know that you, so desperately want to go!"
Summer was inflamed by his comment, "That is not true!" She turned to her friends for support, "Right guys?"
Katie suddenly found the ceiling very interesting.
Zack had his forehead in his hand, shaking his head slightly.
And Lawrence just stared at Summer...eye twitching...
I don't know if it is any good, but I like the ending and some of the commentary. I just kinda went all out in this little chapter. I am also very sorry for not being able to update, it's because I was gone for sometime, I went abroad, leaving my precious behind. No, this isn't the Lord of the Rings section! Must, save that talk for later, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I hope you will enjoy the next. But not only that, I hope you enjoy the whole bloody story!