Wednesday, September 14h, 2011
"Best nineteen out of twenty!"
"What is this even supposed to be?"
"You're on, Pyrope!"
"Did you read that thing I sent you last night?"
"Veronica, play nice."
"Uh, m-mashed potatoes? I guess?"
So how do you like your claththeth tho far, Fef?"
"I'll play nice when Pyrope does."
"No, dude. They can't be. They don't smell anything like motherfucking potatoes."
"They're great! Or at least, I hope they will be. I'm really looking forward to my English class. American literature can be just brilliant."
"And I'll play nice when Serket admits she cheats."
"Gavin, what the fuck does a potato smell like?"
"Literature? Ha. Sorry to disappoint you, Fathia, but I doubt we study anything close to literature until Junior year. Sorry."
"I'll admit I cheat when you admit you do!"
"Really? They gave me this book list, and it looks pretty good to me."
"It's okay."
"I dunno, bro. That's motherfucking deep. It's like asking a brother what motherfucking water tastes like. It just does."
"Girls, settle. We do not need any bloodshed today. Especially not with this many people."
"You're in AP Lang?"
It is only midway through lunch, and already the noise at the table is deafening. Veronica and Teresa are in a rock paper scissors death match. Which is a thing that exists when you are Veronica and Teresa. Kaleigh is sketching out designs for homecoming dresses that need to be made before next month and making sure that rock paper scissors doesn't actually turn into a death match. Travis, Gavin and KK are in a deep discussion about the whitish starch that the cafeteria placed on Travis' tray. Travis holds that it's mashed potatoes, but Gavin theorizes that it's something more sinister. Natalie is rereading Death Note for the umpteenth time. She wrote a chapter of her fanfiction that has been ongoing for years the previous night, and Elliot was supposed to edit it for her, but didn't. Erin mostly keeps to himself. Steven, Fathia and Aria are discussing Fathia's schedule, which Aria is shocked to find contains several upperclassmen level classes. But she's not jealous. The emotion welling up in her chest is definitely not jealousy. There is no jealousy to be found here. Elliot continues to sit in the senior section, despite the group's kind offer to pull up a chair for him.
The table's chatter is momentarily interrupted by a thunk on the table as KK plops his backback on it and begins digging through it.
"Jeguth Chritht, KK. What do you have in there? Dead bodieth?"
Fathia makes a face. "Did you just say Jegus?"
Veronica snorts. "Because that was the part of that statement that was the most concerning, and not the part where he asked if KK was a serial killer."
Teresa giggles. "It's a long story, don't ask."
"Also known as I made a typo and these dumbasses adopted it into their weird ass inside jokes." KK rolls his eyes. "And they're textbooks, Steven. You know, they things that you read to learn from?"
"Except you know. I don't read."
"Well that's your issue, isn't it?" KK smirks at what he perceives as a victory. He pulls out one of his textbooks, a notebook, and a pen.
Teresa temporarily calls off the rock paper scissors death match. "What are you doing anyway? You're a sophomore. You can't have homework already."
KK snorts. "I'll have you know that I have an AP World Quiz this Friday."
Natalie starts. "We have a quiz?"
KK begins alternating between nibbling on his pen and writing in his notebook. "Yeah. On regions."
Teresa snorts. "That quiz is easy. I didn't even study for it last year and I passed."
KK glances up. "Some of us are looking for more than passing."
"Yada yada straight As yada." Veronica rolls her eyes. "Can we get back to our game, Pyrope?"
Fathia speaks up then. "Oh yeah! KK, did you happen to write down the English assignment? It plum slipped my mind until right before the bell rang."
"Personal essay on the best novel we ever read. Two pages typed, four hand written, double spaced in clear font or neat pen." He mutters, not looking up from his book.
Steven spits out part of his soda back into the can. "Wait. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. You're telling me Vantath is in AP Lang?"
"What's your point C–Veronica give that back!" Veronica snatches KK's backpack while he's not looking. KK growls.
Veronica ignores him, digging through the textbooks. "Yup, here's his AP Lang book. Pre Calculus? Why would you even take that class in the first place?"
Teresa grabs the backpack, pulling it out of Veronica's grip. "He said give it back, Veronica. What classes he's taking are none of your business." Teresa and Veronica begin another of their famous glaring matches.
KK gently takes the bag back from Teresa. "Uh. Thanks. I guess."
"Will thomeone jutht explain to me how the hell you two are in AP Lang?" Steven interrupts, diffusing the tension.
"We're not dumbasses. That's how."
"KK, I will murder you. Thowly. And no one will cry at the funeral."
"I'd like to see you try, Captor."
"Try me, Vantath."
Aria rolls her eyes. "Am I going to have to separate you two?"
"You already are, Aria."
"Yeah, Aria. You're thitting in between uth."
"That's kind of the definition of separation, Aria."
"And I thought I was the blind one, Aria."
"Maybe you should get your eyes checked, Aria."
"Aria."
"Aria."
"Aria."
"Aria."
"Aria."
Kaleigh puts down her pencil and glares. "Are you two four?"
"Thix."
"And a half."
"Thank you very much."
Fathia giggles. Aria sighs, a hand to her face. "Why do I hang out with you two?"
"I ask myself that question every day." Kaleigh shakes her head. "Anyway, I have been thoroughly distracted from my work. How has planning been going, KK?"
KK snorts and raises his eyebrows. "Kaleigh, that's not even a valid question. You know how the planning is going. You practically live with Veronica. Even if she didn't tell you you, you know her."
Veronica sticks her tongue out at KK. Kaleigh pats Veronica's shoulder to placate her. "All the same. Is everything prepared to be presented?"
"That depends." KK turns to Steven. "Steven, do you have the–"
"Yeth, of courthe I do. In my locker."
"Good." KK turns back to Kaleigh. "Yes."
Kaleigh raises an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued."
"You're going to have to be patient, Kaleigh. It's a surprise."
"Oh my."
Veronica puts up her hands, sighing. "I give, Reese."
Teresa grins widely. "What? You tired of losing, Nica?"
Veronica rolls her eyes, and starts digging through her backpack. "Yeah, right." She pulls something out of her bag and stuffs it in her jacket pocket. She pats her pockets, and then grumbles. "Gavin, you got a light? Mine seems to have disappeared."
Gavin grins. "That all depends, sister. I've got a light if I can bum a smoke."
Veronica grins back. "I knew there was a reason I put up with you, Gav." She stands up and kisses Kaleigh. "Catch ya' later, Kals."
Kaleigh has a pointedly disappointed look on her face. "Take a breath mint before you do."
Veronica winks at Kaleigh. She and Gavin walk out of the cafeteria, presumably going to the spot under the bleachers where the administrators seemed to ignore.
KK rolls his eyes. "I don't know why you keep trying that, Teresa. It's not as if it's ever going to work with Gavin around."
"If you had taken Gavin's lighter it would have worked!" Teresa snaps at him.
She sets Veronica's bright blue lighter on the table. A cheap spider sticker that Veronica had placed there a few years ago is worn, pealing, and barely recognisable. Kaleigh takes it, putting it in her purse to give to Veronica later.
KK snorts. "And have to put up with a nicotine-free Veronica all afternoon? Keep dreaming."
"You could have put up with it for one afternoon to put her on the first step to quitting."
Steven smirks. "Careful, Teri. That almotht thoundth like caring."
Teresa glares. "Shut the fuck up, Steven. I just don't want to put up with the smell anymore."
"Then thtop hanging out with her if you hate her and her thmell tho much."
Teresa glares, but is at a loss at what to respond. Kaleigh steps in. "The smell can get a little overbearing at times. But the prospect of Veronica having to present a budget when she hasn't had a cigarette for hours is much more frightening than putting up with her scent."
Teresa grumbles, but shook herself out of it. "Uh. So Fathia. You never told us how you got into AP Lang. Normal American classes too easy for you or something?"
Fathia smiles weakly. "Actually, in a way yes. Classes at Ackworth are...challenging to say the least, and I was to be put in advanced classes this year had I stayed. The only way they would give me credit is if I took an AP class."
KK nods. "Oh yeah, you two came from some sort of bullshit school for rich kids, right?"
Erin glares. "Ackworth is not 'bullshit'. It is a prominent boarding school for exceptional young ladies and gentlemen."
KK stares blankly. He looks at Fathia. "I feel like he was saying words to me but I have no idea what he just said."
Fathia giggles. "Erin, quit speaking Welsh at them, they can't understand you."
Erin harrumphs. "I'm not speaking Welsh." He scrunches up his nose indigently. "Gallaf siarad Cymraeg, os ydych chi am i mi."
Teresa squints. "Okay, now I know he's not speaking English."
Fathia rolls her eyes. "He actually was speaking Welsh at the end there. Erin thinks he's so cool because he's from Cardiff and he speaks a dead language."
"It is not a dead language!" Erin crosses his arms. "It might as well be!" He rolls his eyes. "Typical English, not understanding the significance of Welsh culture."
Fathia raises her eyebrows. "You wanna go, Taffy?" They glare playfully at eat other for a few seconds before Steven interrupts.
"Tho, where are you from, Fef?"
She snaps out of it, smiling cheerfully. "Oh, I'm from Ackworth. The town I mean. I've gone to Ackworth School since Nursery."
Erin rolls his eyes. "They probably don't know what Nursery even is, Fef."
KK narrows his eyes. "Of course we know what nursery school is. We have that here too, dumbass."
Erin laughs under his breath. "Oh yeah? What is it then?"
Natalie rolls her eyes. "It's where you go when you're too young even for preschool, but your parents work during the day or whatever and don't want to hire a babysitter all day."
Erin narrows his eyes, as if the fact that Americans actually had nursery school somehow personally offended him.
Fathia rolls her eyes at him. "Will you knock it off already, Erin? You're being a regular prick, you are."
KK looks between the two, an unreadable expression on his face. "Have you two know each other long?"
They both sigh and roll their eyes, Fathia's smile drooping slightly and a hint of a smile appearing on Fathia's face. "You could say that," They answer simultaneously.
Fathia continues. "Our dads are both in the Navy and were deployed on the same ship when we were little kids. Erin was…" She hesitated.
Erin filled in. "My Ma walked out on me and my Da when I was just a baby. The base couldn't let me be when I was real young, so Fathia's Ma took me in 'til my Da was back ashore."
Fathia nods. "We got real close in those months. I must'a been about four, and that would make him about six?"
"My dad got a promotion when he came ashore. We moved down to Cardiff, and I never heard from Fathia again."
Fathia smiles. "Imagine our surprise when we we saw each other on the plane here."
Their story is kept from getting any sappier by the interruption the bell. Everyone moves to pack up their stuff. Teresa fake wipes a tear from her eye. "That is one of the most touching stories I have ever heard."
Steven forces a snivel. "It'th like thomething thtraight out of one of KK's thhitty Romcomth.
KK growls. "Can you two quit being assholes for two minutes? I swear to god."
"I'll quit being an athhole when you do."
Aria rolls her eyes as she slings her backpack on. "The day KK quits being an asshole is the day hell freezes over."
KK fumes and sputters. Steven grins. "I like you, Aria. Keep 'em coming."
Teresa cackles. "But in all seriousness. Lunch Table Story Time is badass. We should do this every day."
Kaleigh nods. "Actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea."
KK rolls his eyes. "If it keeps the peanut gallery quiet for as long as it did this lunch period, by all means."
Steven punches KK's arm. "You will never thilence the mighty peanut gallery. We are unsttoppable!"
KK punches him back. "Go to class you tool!"
Later
"Alright. Alright. Everybody settle down." KK sits in the armchair, ready to start another chaotic meeting. He finds it surprisingly comfortable, despite its outward stuffy appearance. "Shut your fucking mouths or I will fucking shut them for you!" The group finally shuts up. "Thank you. Now as you all know from that cluster fuck of a memo, we have a list of rules now."
"Some of which are rather inappropriate." Kaleigh mutters to herself. If Teresa wasn't one of her best friends, she was pretty sure she would be angry at her for that particular rule suggestion.
KK rolls his eyes. "Yes, several of the rules have more graphic topics than others. If you think you're not mature enough, get the fuck out now because this isn't the place for you. Aria?"
Aria begins reading off of a laminated piece of paper. "Rule number one. The club house is neutral ground. You are to show respect to all club members while in the club house, regardless of outside opinions, rivalries, and or relationships."
Veronica and Teresa begin glaring at each other halfway through the rule.
"Basically, no fighting, or I will kick your ass out faster than you can say 'I'm sorry'." KK looks pointedly at the two girls.
When they look off in other directions, he nods at Aria to continue. "Rule number two. The club house is open to your use between the hours of 6am and 6pm. Before using it, you must notify an officer of your use."
Natalie raises her hand. KK rolls his eyes again. "Natalie, you don't have to raise your hand. This isn't school. Just talk."
"Define notify an officer."
KK snorts. "You were reading the memo, you know what that means."
Natalie doesn't budge with her question.
Veronica sighs impatiently. "Basically, just text or email one of us saying 'hey, gonna be at the club house at such and such a time,' and we'll be all 'chill, just don't break anything'."
Erin makes a slight face, and then spoke up. "How do we get into the club house? We can't leave the door unlocked, can we?"
Steven sets a black canister on the table. "That'th what thith baby is for. Lookth like a thprinkler, right?"
Veronica rolls her eyes. "I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that it's not?"
Steven ignores her jab. "You are correct, Veronica." He picks it back up, and pops off the nearly invisible top. He turns it upside down, and a copy of the house key slides out. "Bury thith outthide in the yard, and nobody but club memberth will ever know it hideth the key."
KK nods approvingly. "Everybody cool? Cool."
Kaleigh crosses her arms, smileing amusedly. "I am vastly unimpressed by your surprise. However the ingenuity of the idea itself makes up for it."
KK shrugs. "Can't win 'em all."
Aria takes that as a signal to move on. "That brings us to our next rule. Rule three, if you use the beds at any time for any purpose, you must wash the sheets."
Kaleigh rolls her eyes pointedly, but does not object. Natalie giggles behind her hand. Fortunately, nobody makes any remarks that would get them slowly tortured by their raging president.
Aria glances around the circle. "If nobody has any objections, I'll move on. Rule number four: Nobody leaves after meetings until the house is clean."
Gavin, shockingly, speaks up. "Define clean, bro."
Three out of four of the officers are too in shock that Gavin was even listening to respond. So, Elliot replies on their behalf. "At least as clean as when we arrived. Preferably cleaner, as some mess is sure to accumulate during the week."
Gavin nods. "Cool beans, motherfucker." He gives a thumbs-up, and then leans his head back against the couch and commences staring at the ceiling.
Aria regains her voice. "Well not that that's settled. We only have one more rule. Rule number five: don't do anything illegal."
"Before you ask, yes we mean on club house grounds. I really couldn't give less of a fuck what you do at home." KK glared around the circle, particularly at the people who looked like they were about to ask very specific questions. "There really shouldn't be any questions on this. If you have to ask, assume that it's not allowed."
Veronica grins. "Alright. If that's taken care of, on to the fun part: the budget!"
Teresa rolls her eyes. "A budget can't be fun, idiot."
Veronica smiles sweetly. "Reesie dear, kindly shut the fuck up." Teresa flips her off. Veronica ignores her and continues. "So here's the basic low down: in addition to the money Dr. S gave us, my mom is sponsoring us 75 dollars a month as long as she can list us on her campaign site as 'community outreach."
Fathia looks confused. "Campaign site?"
Veronica rolls her eyes. "My mom is a state senator. But that is irrelevant to the budget."
Fathia nods, indicating to continue.
"So obviously, as a video game club, we need some better games than the wimpy-ass shit around this place. So the first portion goes to a Gamefly subscription, which is about 23 dollars a month."
KK rolls his eyes. "Yeah yeah, yeah, they read that on the memo. Basically, we'll vote once a month on what games to get? Okay?"
Veronica glares. "This is my gig, KK. Back off." KK puts his hands up in surrender, and Veronica plunges on. "So, after that the budget has changed a little from the memo. The next 10 dollars is for snacks. Basically, I'll go out once a month to the wholesale store and get some popcorn, chips, granola bars, whatever. Basically, all the junk food I can get for ten bucks. If you have any favorites, tell me and I may or may not take your suggestion."
She glances around to make sure everyone is cool with this, and then moves on. "The next 20 dollars is going to a once a month actual food splurge. We'll order pizza or something and chow down and everyone will be happy. If people can pitch in a little more, we can even be fancy and order Chinese."
This idea brings much muttering from the group. Everyone seems to like the idea, though. Veronica grins, loving her own genius plan. "And the last 22 dollars, along with the 50 Dr. S gave us, goes into a savings account. It's going to be emergency slash whatever money. This month I'm going to go out and buy a few packs of condoms and a stockpile of school supplies, but after that we'll pretty much be saving it up. Maybe we'll have a party or something."
Natalie nods approvingly. "I really like that."
Fathia grins. "Yeah, that's actually a really good budget!"
KK rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, good job, Veronica. Anyone else have announcements before we go back to playing games?"
Kaleigh raises a finger to get their attention. "My sixteenth birthday party is this coming weekend. All of you are invited if you wish to come. It is at Veronica's house. You may get her address from either her or myself."
Veronica grins. "And bring a swimsuit!"
With that, the group separates into smaller groups centered around the TVs for the rest of the evening.
A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, guys! Life's been crazy. I'll try and update more often, but I honestly can't promise anything at this point.