Chapter Three--

Zachary McHale

At lunch fifth period Athena and I sat with all of our friends, there was Eva, Dana, Bailey, Bobbie, Chris, and Danny. We were all sitting there quietly, not knowing what to say without the presence of Madison sitting there leading the conversation. "Do you guys know when we get report cards?" Dana asked breaking the silence.

"At student council today, they said that they would come by Thursday," Eva answered, "That means that we will get them in homeroom Friday." Eva was presidential. She was the president of the 7th grade student council, the secretary of the Fundraiser club, and the president of the Debate club. She was an over-achieving girl, and she got straight A's on her report card every single quarter, and takes all advanced classes.

None of us were as smart as Eva. Nobody answered her. Of course, Eva would answer, with a really reliable answer that was always right. "Nice," Athena spoke up. We munched on our lunches. I ate my salad with slices of chicken, and drank my lemonade.

Madison and I had gone on a strike for school lunches. We refused to buy school lunches until the food improved, even if it meant the prices went up. But our strike didn't work, because nobody agreed with us, and two people can't always make a difference. But Madison and I got addicted to good tasting lunches and just kept on eating them.

Madison was a vegetarian, she also didn't like school lunches because they always served meat. I just didn't like school lunches. The answer was simple: just don't eat them. So we didn't. Because of our strike, the lunch ladies hated us.

Lunch Money, was what we called the lunch lady who ran the cash registers and rang us up. In between kids getting up in line she would glare at us horribly like we were Hitler or something. Then there was

Lunch Sandwich, who ran the deli line, and made sandwiches at the speed that it takes you to write her name.

Then there was Hot Lunch, who served the hot lunch. Pretty simple right? Not really, according to Chris, Hot Lunch is hot. We don't exactly agree with that on account to the fact that she wears and hair net on her head, and I don't see how they think that she is good looking.

There are the lunch ladies. We think that there are more but they do things like I said, at the speed that you write her name. Oh, wait, I forgot someone: Lunch Dude, who is like a sub. But the weird thing is, is that he is a man. A Lunch-lady-man. A Lunch Dude, that is what he is. No matter how grose it sounds.

---------------------

We all ate our lunches and about ten minutes into the lunch period after all of us had all bought or gotten out our lunches a boy walks up to the table. He was pretty cute, he had funky rimmed glasses, baggy pants, and a black t-shirt that says, "How to keep an idiot busy (see back of shirt)." Then on the back it said, "How to keep an idiot busy (see front of shirt)."

"Can I sit with you guys?" He said, "I'm Zachary."

"Yeah sure," I said eyeing every one else, Dana couldn't keep her eyes off of him and seemed as if she was drooling, "I'm Jem. That is Dana, Eva, Bailey, Athena, Danny, Chris, and Bobbie." Bobbie eyed me; I knew what he was thinking Jem, why did you put me last? is what he was thinking. Bobbie is a stuck up retard so I didn't mind him being mad.

"Thanks, I'm new." Zachary said.

"We noticed, at this school, since there aren't very many people, we know everyone." I said.

"Am you the only one that knows how to talk?" Zachary asked laughing.

"No, Jem is just very talkative, so is Eva, but only after you get to know her." Danny said. He stuffed five potato chips into his mouth a once. Zachary stared at his food disgusted; he had a tomato and turkey sandwich, my favorite combination. He had obviously bought because the bread was wet and disgusting.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you!" Dana blurted out, "The school lunches aren't very good here, except for their pizza, they get it from I Love New York Pizza." Dana said really fast. We all knew that Dana talked really fast when she was nervous, and right now was the perfect moment to be nervous.

Athena bit into her sandwich, there was a loud and distinct crunch. Athena took her mouth off of her half eaten sandwich and saw a piece of paper sticking out. On one side it was blank in big pink bubbly letters it said This is what your grades can look like if you don't get me a date, they can be even worse.