Nearly five minutes later, Eliza found herself and her zombie friends being escorted to the human's cafeteria by four security officers, one on each side of the crowd. She could vaguely hear a school's administrator—Principal Lea—make an announcement over the intercoms about the zombies joining the humans' cafeteria. Principal Lea subsequentially ordered the students to deal with the new arrangements once groans and complains were heard.
A moment later, a male officer reluctantly opened the large double doors for the zombies. Zed bravely went first before Eliza followed him, allowing the rest of the zombies to follow in their lead. From the humans' perspective, it looked as though they were in a prison assembly line, which angered a cheer captain.
However, Bucky's anger quickly subsided when Eliza stole a quick glance at him. He gave her a small smile to show his support in her and that he caught her in her action. Eliza quickly adverted her gaze when she locked eyes with him, but Bucky could see the faintest blush on her cheeks from getting caught.
The lunch workers didn't hide their disdain for the zombies. While humans were given beautiful trays of food with a decorated dessert, zombies were given toast with an inedible slop plopped on top. The zombies felt even more unwelcomed when the servers glared at them in hatred.
After receiving their trays, Zed and Eliza walked to the small, abandoned table by the trash cans where some of the other zombies were sitting. "Our very own lunch table, in the darkest corner, with cheap fluorescent lights, and by the trash cans," she summarized with a soft sigh.
"I know . . ." Zed began before insisting happily, "It's perfect! Living large and in charge!"
Eliza smiled excitedly before sitting next to Zed and diagonal from Bonzo, who was doing tricks with the pears he brought for lunch.
Throughout the meal, Eliza tried her hardest to hide the glances she would give her boyfriend from the other side of the cafeteria. She acted interested in Bonzo's juggling act while she merely used it as an excuse to look at Bucky. Bucky would blatantly stare at his girlfriend and then advert his gaze when someone tried speaking with him.
During their game of 'eye tag', Eliza jumped slightly when Zed suddenly shouted, "Addison!"
Movement stopped in the cafeteria and all conversations were silenced. It was so quiet in the room that everyone could hear when people dropped their silverware in surprise. Zed didn't seem to notice the unusual tension as he waved openly to the pretty blonde girl sitting a few tables away. With a wide smile, Addison eagerly jumped up from her seat before casually strolling to the zombie table, trying her best to ignore the stares she was receiving.
Bucky mouthed to his girlfriend, 'What is she doing?'
Eliza shrugged as she tried to pay attention to the cheerleader. She incorrectly welcomed the zombies to the cafeteria in their native tongue when she really thanked them for rubbing peanut butter on her umbrella. Zed, of course, corrected her while the zombies snickered at the miscommunication. To ease her embarrassment, Bonzo gifted a pear peal flower to Addison, who graciously and gingerly held it in her hands so it would break.
"Not to be rude," Eliza began with an unusually normal roll of her eyes, "but why are you here? I thought cheerleaders hated zombies."
"Not all of them," Addison argued kindly. "My cousin, Bucky, and I don't hate you. I promise, he and I had nothing to do with what happened at the pep rally. Besides, I wanted to thank Zed for earli—"
Sadly, Addison was rudely interrupted when Lacey and Stacey roughly grabbed her by the arms, causing her to throw the pear flower. "Excuse me," she managed to plea as she was being pulled away.
Once they believed they were out of hearing distance, the two sophomores dropped their hold on the freshman. It took Addison a moment to realize she was surrounded by the three cheer assistant captains.
"You do know you were talking to zombies, right?" Tracey questioned rhetorically.
"Your cousin isn't going to like you hanging around with," Lacey looked around for a moment before lowering her voice to a whisper, "zombies!"
"Cheerleaders don't support freaks," Stacey added just so she could have a word in.
"But Bucky is fine with zombies." Addison tried to argue. "He told me he would be willing to let zombies try out for cheer if they wanted."
"He also told us there was something different about you," Tracey fibbed, squinting his eyes to focus. "I can see that now."
Addison subconsciously ran her fingers through her hair, claiming, "I don't know what you're talking about. I am not different. I'm the samest person you've ever met."
"Hanging with zombies can be hazardous," Lacey warned. "You can end up off the cheer squad like,"—the trio snapped at the same time—"that."
"You can't kick me off the team." Addison insisted stubbornly. "That's only for Bucky to decide. He's cheer captain, not you three."
"You don't know us," Stacey retorted with the same tone given to her. "We can be very convincing."
Walking in a straight line, the three assistant captains headed to their table in the brightest section of the cafeteria. With a quiet sigh, Addison ran out of the room to be alone. Making a split-second decision, Zed grabbed the fruit flower and his backpack off the chair, running to catch up with Addison.
Eliza changed her gaze to Bucky, who mouthed, 'What did they say?'
'Something about being different and kicking her off the team if she hanged with us,' she responded after a few seconds of waiting. 'I couldn't hear all of it.'
'I'm going to end their threats,' he promised after he waited a few minutes as well. 'And they won't be happy about it.'
The bell ringed before Eliza could respond. Everyone started to leave, giving Bucky the perfect time to ask, 'Still good for our date?'
She only gave a short nod as the police officer escorted the zombies out of the cafeteria.
Maybe things were going to get more complicated than she thought.
Later on that day, cheer practice was about to begin when Bucky decided to change things up a bit. Instead of the members going into their usual positions, Bucky made them line up in three rows in front of him. It took a couple minutes for them to do such a thing, but afterwards, they were starting to get a little nervous. Bucky hasn't said a word since he began pacing at the front.
After collecting his thoughts, Bucky finally stopped in the middle of the front row to address the cheerleaders. "It's been brought to my attention that members of the squad have been intimidating others because they interact with zombies," Bucky began, to the surprise of the members. "Then over half of you decide to disobey my direct order."
The cheer captain crossed his arms over his chest angrily, yet with authority. "When I tell you something, you do it. You don't ignore me, and you don't go behind my back."
"Bucky, relax!" Lacey insisted with an obnoxious roll of her eyes. "Nobody got hurt."
"So many could have because of you and the other assistant captains' recklessness," Bucky retorted bitterly. "Addison could have gotten hurt if Zed hadn't caught her. Zed wouldn't have needed to catch her if his friend Bonzo didn't run onto the court. Bonzo wouldn't have run onto the court if you three hadn't convinced half the squad to light the spirit sticks."
"It's common knowledge zombies are scared of fire," Tracey reminded with a careless shrug. "We wanted to use their fear to scare them out of Seabrook High."
"Do you know why they are afraid of fire?" the cheer captain challenged.
"Because humans used it to control them," Stacey answered with a spiteful smile.
"No, because a majority of their parents were killed in a fire," Bucky corrected knowingly as he glared angrily at the assistant captains. "The only reason I know that is because a zombie gave me a piece of her mind after the pep rally. What you did was completely disrespectful to them. I promised that zombie that the perpetrators would be punished. That's why we are here now."
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Bucky ordered, "If you went along with the fake initiation last night or the spirit stick fiasco this morning, huddle to my right. Those who didn't do either one, go to my left."
It took some time for the cheerleaders to split into the two groups, as some were reluctant to do as they were told. Bucky found himself unsurprised when two-thirds of the team moved to the left, which included his three assistant captains. He wasn't surprised either when Addison and Bree guiltily moved to the right of him.
"Addison, Bree," he called out to the two girls. "I know you two did not participate in either one. Move to the left. Stacey, Lacey, Tracey, did you really think I wouldn't notice you in the wrong spot? Move to the right!"
"Bucky, we didn't-"
"You admitted what you did a few minutes ago!" Bucky shouted over Stacey rudely. "Move to the right or else you'll be permanently kicked off the team. As for the rest of you, don't make me call you out. I know who did what."
After a couple more minutes, everyone was finally in their correct groups. Nearly all of the team was on the right, leaving Addison, Bree, and three teenage boys on the left.
"That's better," Bucky commented with an almost sarcastic tone. "Those who went along with the fake initiation and used the spirit sticks in the pep rally are banned from practice and from cheering at the next three games."
Of course, the cheerleaders gasped dramatically at the announcement.
"Bucky, there's only six games!" Tracey argued irritably. "We'll be missing half and we will have nowhere near enough practices. You are going to make us lose the Cheer Championship before we even compete!"
"I don't care," Bucky retorted, which shocked the cheerleaders more than the punishment. "It is a matter of respect, which you clearly seem to lack for me and the zombies. All of you on the right are dismissed! As for the rest of you, let's begin practice."
Those who were dismissed were still completely shocked with the turn of events when they slowly left the gymnasium. Stacey, Lacey, and Tracey stayed behind for a few moments by the entrance, gossiping with one another as they watched the five remaining start the unusual practice.
"What are we going to do about this?" Lacey whispered harshly. "At this rate, zombies will rule the school!"
"That's not going to happen," Tracey reassured unconvincingly.
"How can you be sure?" Stacey wondered in worry. "By the way Bucky's acting, it's like he has a zombie friend. That zombie is manipulating him!"
"Bucky doesn't like zombies," Tracey insisted once again.
"But he's defending them!" Lacey argued. "He likes zombies!"
"Bucky won't like them after they steal his spotlight." Tracey reasoned with a devious smile. "He'll be scheming his own plan to get rid of them. For now, we'll take to Principal Lea about the punishment. She'll have a chat with him once she learns Bucky wants us to lose the championship."
The trio gave each other a knowing smirk as they strutted out the doors—
Not knowing a girlfriend heard the whole conversation from under the bleachers.
After practice ended for the day, Eliza emerged from her hiding spot and informed of what she overheard. Bucky shook his head in disbelief as they sat at the bottom row of the bleachers. "I should have known they were going to do something," he complained with a sigh. "I know they will get their way."
"Maybe you can reason with the principal." Eliza suggested helpfully. "Make a compromise to have them miss the first game."
"But that isn't good enough," Bucky insisted stubbornly. "It just isn't fair."
Eliza laid a hand over his that were clenched in aggravation. With a small voice, she mumbled, "Nothing is fair for zombies."
"It shouldn't be that way. There isn't a big difference between humans and zombies."
Eliza smiled softly as she teased, "Except for our green hair that you seem to love."
"I think your hair is beautiful," Bucky corrected with a carelessly smile. "I just love you."
"And I have deep feelings for you too," she commented with a certain tension in her shoulders. "What I told you before . . . about my father, no one knows, not even Zed and Bonzo. Only me, my mother, and now you. I hope that proves that I care for you, until I'm comfortable enough to say . . . you know."
"Take your time," Bucky instructed calmly. "For now, I still have to show you how to use your gift."
For the rest of their date, Bucky taught Eliza everything she needed to know about how to use her cellphone, which included keeping the default lock screen and changing her home-screen to a selfie of her and her boyfriend. Others might not consider that a date, but they didn't care.
After all, what could go wrong with a boy and a zombie?
