The Horror of Popularity
Chapter 2: Fear and Suspicion causes Panic.
(Following Day at School)
"Hey Everyone," Tad and Chad said enthusiastically as they entered school, "you can all bow down to our..." they continued but stopped when they noticed that the unpopular kids (majority of the school populace) weren't staring at them with adoration but with extreme fear.
"What's going on?" Chad asked in open annoyance, "why are you all acting as if we're ghost?" he demanded, "it's not like we're going to harm you if you speak up," he added and after a few loud shrieks from frightened students the hall was cleared in seconds of most of the unpopular kid.
"This is stupid," Tad stated as he ran a hand leisurely through his blonde hair (I've decided to let the white one be named Tad, if I'm wrong please tell me), "what's up with the rest of the school Trixie?" he asked Trixie who was standing a good distance away beside the defective locker section (I made it up, just go along with it), "and why are you beside the defective lockers?" he asked.
"Because of that," Veronica said coldly and pointed at the notice board, "it's the red papered notice written in bold black letters," she said coldly, "this is so not going to work," she muttered under her breath to herself as Tad and Chad walked off to look at the notice.
Dear Students (Especially Popular Kids)
Due to strange events of yesterday, an Alert is in progress and a few new rules have been made.
Popular Kids will be seated at a specific location whether it be in the classroom, lunch room, or anywhere that you go.
2) Popular Kids aren't allowed to have contact with unpopular kids while at school. So beating up of unpopular kids or unpopular kids getting close to popular kids is definitely not allowed. This is for unpopular kid's safety.
3) Popular Kids aren't allowed to react in anyway to teases, tricks, or any other thing played on them by unpopular kids. Disobeying of this rule in particular means immediate expulsion and if any thing bad happens to the child who you reacted to. There'll likely be jail time as well or at least Juvenile Hall or Bootcamp.
4) No unpopular kid is allowed to be made popular during this alert. You will be immediately expelled and sent to prison for intent to cause bodily harm and also possibly for attempted murder as well.
5) No form of activities held by popular kids are allowed. Popular kids can fraternize among themselves, but can't hold official bashes that might attract innocent unpopular children.
6) No popular kid is allowed to participate in sports, P.E., music Lessons or any form of extra- curricular activity that will cause them to possibly get in contact with unpopular children. You will be excused from such activities and for P.E. and Music Lessons will instead read on your own time and be given 100 theory exams on these subjects instead of practicals and physicals.
7) Popular Kids within a week will be designated with special uniforms to wear. These uniforms are gray and will identify you from normal students. This is obligatory. Any Popular Kid breaking this rule will be sent to Adult Prison (That includes even Trixie Tang) until the alert is over. Before you contest this, know that the Alert has been signed by the Principal, Head of Staff, the Mayor and the President of the U.S.A. So don't even bother.
8) Popular Kids are not allowed to change schools during this alert since it seems that only Popular Kids at this school are somehow causing harm to students. You either attend this school or get schooled at home. Your choice.
9) Unpopular kids who are caught teasing Popular Kids will be taken to safe houses outside Dimmsdale and kept under heavy security until after 24hrs is over. Hopefully that clue that appeared on the news was right about the time limit.
10) It might happen within the next month that you're lockers will be relocated to the attic. But since there aren't sufficient funds for that at the moment, just keep checking the notice board daily.
11) Also in the Hallways Popular Kids are to stand by the defective lockers and wait for all the other kids to leave the area before going to their lockers. And when school is over Popular Kids wait until the hallways are empty of kids before they can go for their things and go home. No Popular Kid is allowed to stay after school hours. If you're doing after school classes they've been relocated to the basement.
12) Remember these rules are not optional. We put the safety of kids first and comfort second. So should you. Well even if you don't feel that way you have no choice.
Signatures: ............ (AN: I'm not bothering to write that)
P.S.: This Alert is called the Boil Chester Alert in memory of Boil Kid who died 9:00pm last night. It is also a dedication to Chester who less than two hours after the bees left, got attacked by wild prairie dogs and is now in the hospital in serious condition. God Preserve Him.
End Notice
"They can't do that!" Tad cried incredulously after reading the notice, "it's infringement upon our human rights!"
"I'm afraid that they can," Mr. Crocker said suddenly from behind Tad and Chad, "and you two can be expelled for not standing by the defective lockers while defenseless unpopular children are still out here," he told them, "now get over there!"
"Since when do you care about children?" Chad asked him rudely.
"Never," Mr. Crocker admitted, "but I always hated Popular children as a child and I see this as a way of getting my own personal revenge," he sneered, "plus either way you're kids and I do LOVE to see kids suffer," he whispered with a wicked laugh.
"This is just horrible!" Trixie cried angrily, "I will not ..."
"Shut Up!" most of the other kids cried angrily cutting her off.
Trixie stopped and looked around in shock. Never in her life had she seen so many faces of hatred looking back at her. Sure she got some mean and jealous glances but these young faces were filled with pure hate. The kids quickly turned back to their lockers but all the popular kids now stood by the defective lockers in silence. More than ten minutes later the hall was emptied of unpopular students.
"Now go and get your stuff," Mr. Crocker said coldly and the popular kids obeyed in silence.
(Lunch Time)
Trixie, Veronica, Tad, Chad, Britney Jace, Kira Ham Zeng, Lorna Red and Ian Richton stepped into the lunchroom. Their first half of the day was a total disaster! They had to sit beside the teacher in every class and were in direct alignment to see the unpopular kids giving them hateful glares. All of them had the same classes together and decided to go to lunch together feeling that there was safety in numbers even though they were the only most popular kids in their grade. But before they reached their usual table the principal called them.
"Hello Popular children," the Principal said suspiciously, "your new designated spot is at the back of the room," she said, "write down what you want for lunch on a piece of paper and I will have it brought to you," she said coldly, "then you'll sit in your designated area until the canteen is completely emptied," she continued, "then you'll go into the staff canteen section and wash the items that you used yourselves and leave them on the cabinet," she said sharply, "after you all exit the canteen, the staff will reenter and put them away for you," she said simply, "is that understood?" she asked in a way that sounded more like a fierce command.
"Yes," they all answered solemnly in unison.
"Remember that you're not allowed to speak to ANY of the unpopular students," the Principal said seriously, "it will be added to the Boil Chester Alert by after school," she said, "I don't care if it's your cousin," she hissed and the girls gulped.
"But I have a cou..." Veronica started.
"Who is unpopular," the Principal said firmly, "stay away from him," she snapped and stormed off.
"Let's go and sit," Britney Jace a red head said in defeat, "I need to eat to get the load off," she said softly and they all went to sit at the old rickety lunch table at the back of the room.
"If things get any worse I just might kill myself," Lorna Red muttered angrily as she wrote down her lunch order, "Brit and I no longer can be ribbon twirlers for the school band and I've been kicked off the gymnastics team!" she cried as her chocolate brown hand flipped her hair (which she had died a light baby blue to match her blue eyes) from her face.
"And I'm popular only because I'm Ian's cousin," Britney muttered her green eyes matched her tone of annoyance, "I never thought I'd be this desperate to be unpopular," she said with a sad sigh.
"Don't be like that," Ian Richton comforted her, "I'd give up my captaincy of the soccer team and my good looks just to not see you so upset," he confessed, "well they took my captaincy," he recalled, "but I'd still give up my looks".
Kira Ham Zeng nudged Lorna and signed to her dramatically. No one else understood what she was signing since only Lorna knew sign language.
"She said, 'I am so damn pissed about not being able to do anymore ballet at school,'" Lorna started to translate, "' this is so unfair why don't they just let us stay home?'" she continued, "'I'm already missing China and I feel like just having them take me back to the orphanage,'" she concluded.
"Don't say that!" Tad cried, "you know that the condition of you being permanently adopted is that you don't transfer schools until high school," he reminded her, "you told us yourself that your social worker hates you and that you were at a bad orphanage before you came here in grade two," he said, "don't make this stupid alert force you to give up everything!" he shouted, "plus, how long can this alert last?"
"Long as necessary," Chad (the African American one) said as he went into his bag and took out a large lunch pouch, "my mother was worried so she made me carry a lunch to school," he told them when they stared at him in alarm, "I would rather eat this than what this school might give me anyway," he muttered and waited for the others get their orders taken from the Principal who had left the lunchroom for nearly 10 minutes now.
"How come you carried so much?" Veronica asked curiously looking at the pouch filled with lunches, drinks and fruits, "you don't eat THAT much!"
"My mother packed it," Chad said simply, "you'd have to ask her," he told her.
"I know why," Trixie said suddenly, "everyone," she said firmly, "take some of Chad' lunch, we can no longer trust the school," she said and ripped the paper with her order to pieces.
Everyone else did the same and then proceeded to proportion Chad's lunch. It was enough for all of them proving Trixie's theory to be most likely correct. They started to eat quietly.
"Well I see that you all have lunches," the Principal said icily from behind them half-an- hour later, "probably best," she said, "I'll add it to the alert that you're all obligated to carry your own food," she said happily and walked off.
"I don't think I'm coming back tomorrow," Chad said seriously, "this alert is stupid," he muttered.
"You're coming tomorrow," Tad said firmly, "if I go to school, you go to school," he said so seriously that no one dared to protest, "I'll drag you screaming if I have to," he added in a low voice that almost implied a threat.
"Let us not argue amongst ourselves," Veronica begged, "it will only cause ..." she continued but was interrupted when a kid suddenly shouted.
"Hey look at the Popular kids at that dirty old table!" a white kid with spiky orange hair teased, "finally getting what you deserve," he said, "and since when did Veronica the tease tell people what to do," he continued, "I thought that was Trixie the slut's job!" he cried and their were a few gasps but those were drowned out by the majority of the unpopular kids who were laughing.
Meanwhile at the old table almost all of them where either holding back Tad while Lorna slapped each of her hands over both Trixie and Veronica's mouths to keep them from reacting.
"That's just what he wants," Lorna whispered, "ignore him."
But just then there came loud barking and suddenly five Dobermans came rushing into the lunchroom and went straight for the orange haired boy. The boy tried to run but the Dobermans got to him quickly. By the time the guard came to stop the dogs it was too late. The orange haired boy had been ripped to pieces.
"Stewart!" A.J. screamed and broke into sobs, "he was in my Chemistry club!" he cried as he continued sobbing beside a still shocked Timmy.
All the unpopular children were looking at the Popular kids again, but this time it wasn't in hatred. It was in total uncovered horror.
Done
Review: I own Lorna, Ian, Britney and Kira. The now late Stewart is also mine. R&R.