AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews I hope you like this chapter as well, I'm Introducing quite a few new characters this chapter so I'm giving a small update on the "cast" for this fic.
Brittany Robertson as Isabelle "Izzy" Lopez
Vanessa Hudgens as Dianna Fabray-Berry
Nina Dobrev as Arianna
Molly C. Quinn as Jenny
Alexander Ludwig as Charlie
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Oliver "Ollie"
Q'orianka Kilcher as Shania
Ariana Grande as Mickie
Hayley Kiyoko as Veronica "Ronnie"
Rafi Gavron as Grayson
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Mason Chance
Felicia Day as Ms. Potts
Missi Pyle as Coach Sylvia
There are other characters introduced in passing in this chapter but they'll be getting full introductions later. Again, I just like casting the characters to help get an image of what the characters look like in my head and on the page.
Hoping you guys like this, please review and tell me what you think!
Mason Chance strolled into Quigley High School and instantly felt as if he'd walked into a war zone. Unlike the day before when he'd easily meandered down the empty hallways, the halls were now loaded with students, all scrambling to move past one another. As he walked along the path to his room he took note of the various staples of the high school hierarchy. There were the football players, donning their letterman jackets and talking loudly, some with their arms flung over the shoulder of some pretty young girl. A trio of bespectacled young men walked by him silently, their heads hanging low.
He saw a group of girls dressed to the nines with purses that cost more than what he made in two weeks pointing at various people in the hallway and laughing, taking note of a dark skinned girl in particular who seemed to be in charge as she motioned for the girls to get moving. He noticed a small group of kids dressed in dark clothes. Looking around he smirked and shook his head, still observing the mass of teen bodies ever moving down the hall. He took note of Ms. Potts trying to usher people into their classes and answering questions, looking far more flustered than she had the evening before. He even saw a frizzy haired lanky boy with a camcorder walking around being followed by a girl with a notepad.
As he continued walking, a voice broke his concentration. He could hear singing coming from across the hall as a pale redhead made her way through the halls. He didn't recognize the song but there was no denying the girl had a beautiful voice. Mason looked around to see if anyone else had noticed and was surprised to see no one else reacting, treating this as if it were an everyday thing. A second later the girl was walking passed him and into his classroom feet away but rather than walk through the threshold she tumbled right over it, landing in a heap on the floor.
Mason rushed forward "Oh my god, are you okay?" He held his hand out to the girl who just smiled up at him, groaning as she took his hand and pulled herself up. "Of course I'm fine, thank you." She dusted off and straightened out her sweater and plaid skirt, adjusting her headband before picking her bag up.
"Little Miss Show Tunes is used to tripping over her own big feet anyway. Or maybe she finally decided to bow down and worship me." Said a dark eyed brunette as she grinned down at the smaller red head. "Very funny Arianna, I'll have you know I'll do no such thing and while I admit that I'm not always the most graceful my other talents more than make up for any shortcomings I may have in my coordination." The redhead nodded as Mason marveled at the speed and eloquence of her retort.
"And what talents would those be? Being the ultimate buzz kill? Your failure to grasp how few rat's asses I give about you? Being a walking fashion disaster? Oh I know, you mean your uncanny ability to ward of any and all human beings right?" Arianna looked pleased with herself as the redhead shifted in place and looked down at her burgundy sweater and maroon plaid skirt. She huffed before turning her attention back on the other girl. "You hold no power of intimidation over me Arianna because unlike most, I have strong character and as such your sharp words will not penetrate my thick skin."
The head cheerleader looked down at the other girl with a smile "Which one of those things do you want me to make fun of first. There's so much I could use but I'd feel bad, it's just too easy Jenny. Come back when you learn to speak like a normal human being." She began walking back towards her seat but Jenny shot back once more "Proper grammar and syntax are essential to a happy and successful life!"
"Get a tan." Arianna fired back, earning laughs from those around her as she sat down. Mason watched the exchange in silence, worried about what he was in for and having the distinct feeling that this wasn't the first time an exchange like this had occurred. With a huff and a stomp of her foot Jenny turned to look up at him "Aren't you going to reprimand her? If not for her remarks then she must be disciplined for wearing a skirt far too short to be considered appropriate."
Mason just gaped at the redhead before she groaned and stomped to her desk in the front row. The bell rang, signifying the start of class and Mason dropped his bag by the side of the desk and went to the board to write out his name. "Good Morning students. My name is Mr. Chance and I will be your Algebra II teacher until Mrs. Ramos gets back from maternity leave. Now I've heard from Principal Kelley that this class has been a little rocky so far because of all the substitutes you've had but I'm here to change that." A student in the back of the class raised her hand. "A question already? Good, I like that. Yes?"
"You're hot." said the brunette at the back of the class. "Anybody have an actual question? Remember there are no stupid questions. Just inappropriate ones." Another hand went up immediately "Can I get your number?" The comment ripped a sigh from Chance as he shook his head. "We'll just wait a bit for questions then. Let's just get this ship sailing on it's inaugural cruise!" He smiled at the students, looking for laughs and found nothing but a few glares and the leering eyes of teen girls from the back of the classroom.
He dug the textbook out of his bag and opened it up. "Well then can anybody tell me where your last teacher left off?" Again he was met with complete silence. "Ok so maybe you don't know the page. What kind of math problems were you working on?" Unreadable stone faces stared back at him with clueless expressions, some turning to each other questioningly. "Did you guys work out of the book at all?" At this a majority of the students shook their head and someone in the back yelled out "We have a book?"
The room degenerated into laughter while Mason grew increasingly dejected. He opened up his notebook and saw that his lesson plan was falling apart before his eyes. Before he could freak out, a blonde girl with a beanie on her head, cargo pants, and chucks walked into the classroom several minutes late already looking bored. She took a moment to look for an empty desk and took a seat next to a brunette who'd been waving at her. The blonde looked up at the front of the class with a puzzled expression on her face, realizing Mason was there for the first time.
Mason cleared his throat and addressed the new addition "Excuse me, why are you late?" The blonde looked him up and down with an insulted look on her face. "Be glad I walked in. Better question, who are you?" He turned to underline his name but the scowl didn't leave the blonde's face as she sat back and crossed her arms. Mason was at least intent on making sure he let it be know that he wasn't going to accept sass. "Well then Miss, since you see fit to walk into class late why don't you tell us where we are in the book?"
Unmoved by the challenge the young blonde leant over and pulled the textbook from her messenger bag, which was adorned with numerous buttons and stickers. She opened it quickly before slumping back in her seat. "We're on Chapter 2. We just started on linear equations. The last couple substitutes tried to review all the basics but most of the doorknobs in here don't even remember slope-intercept form. We're supposed to be on Chapter 5 though, so I'd appreciate if you sped it up a little. That answer good enough for you teach? I have some sleep to catch up on."
The brunette beside her covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled at Mason's shocked expression. "W-what's your name?" The little blonde rolled her eyes and cracked a smile "My name is Ms. Lopez and I'll be your teacher today." Once again the class broke out in laughter and Mason began to rub his temple thinking 'It's going to be a very long day.'
Later in the day Izzy slams her locker shut and jumps when a pasty face appears in its' place. The boy laughed and adjusted his glasses over his nose as the blonde narrowed her eyes at him and slapped him on the shoulder. "Damn it Ollie! Don't scare me like that!" She hit him again and he held his hands up, still laughing "Ok, ok! I give. Man you should've seen your face." She rolled her eyes and turned to start walking away, Ollie following close behind. "Hey, did you bring anything for lunch?"
"Nope. I'm being edgy today and eating lunch room food." They entered the chaotic lunch room and quickly stepped back to avoid being ran over by a small group of students. Izzy mumbling "Freshman" under her breath as they began looking for a table. "Why do you ask anyway?" She grumbled as they looked around the room and over dozens of heads looking for a free table. "My mom keeps trying out our deli's new sandwiches on me and they all suck. She keeps trying to make me eat kosher but I can't, I love bacon and she can't stop our love!" He pronounced loudly. Izzy slapped her hand over his mouth.
"Shut up! Or do you want the Jock Squad to reconsider why they haven't slushied you in a week?" Ollie grimaced and shivered "I don't think I have to worry about that. I've been working out. Look, there's a table!" He pointed across the room and the two teens rushed over to claim it, placing their bags down on top of it. Ollie pulled the sandwich bags out of the brown paper bag he was carrying. "I'll leave them out as offerings to the natives. Those football oafs will eat anything."
"Right, so what's this about you working out?" He smiled as they headed over to the lunch line. "I've been doing squats! I'm gonna be ripped soon and all the ladies will be all like 'Ooh Oliver, I'm so sorry I said I'd rather take a bath in battery acid than go out on a date with you. Come give me your sweetness!' And then I'd be all like-"
"That's enough of that. While I appreciate your ever-present, if somewhat unfounded, confidence, no amount of squats will ever get the guys of this school to back off or the girls to see beyond your bank account and love of more than just football and chasing tail." She looked over the selections at the counter, scrunching her nose up before grabbing a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, two dinner rolls, and a cup of jell-o. Ollie picked out fries and a grilled chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon.
Ollie placed his hand over his heart and put on a look of mock offense "Your lack of confidence hurts me, it really does. Besides, that's not true for everybody. You're not like all the other girls." She scoffed and paid for her lunch before looking back at him. "By the way, could you please, please, please pay for my lunch? I'll be your best friend. The Robin to your Batman."
She laughed and shook her head but paid nonetheless. They both gasped when they were almost ran over by a tan girl dressed in all black who was followed by a similarly tanned boy with shoulder length brown hair dressed in a button up shirt, vest and crisp jeans who turned to look at them apologetically. "Sorry for her, manners aren't her strong suit." He looked Izzy up and down, grinning, causing the blonde to shoot a disgusted glare his way before walking off with Ollie as the Latin boy continued to smile after them.
"God that guy's such a creeper. I wish he'd stick to his floozies and leave me be." She growled as she sat down. The sandwiches they'd left behind now absent, Ollie took his seat across from her and shrugged, instantly digging into his bacon-y treat. "Eh it's probably just because he knows it gets under your skin. Ooh or maybe he wants you because you're an actual challenge unlike all those other girls. It's classic, he chases you, you turn him down. Eventually he lets his guard down around you and you find it endearing and bam! Love city."
She chewed on her spaghetti before answering. "This isn't some cheesy ass rom-com Ollie, this is High School. Besides this story doesn't end with the hard-edged girl and the player falling in love and you know why." He nodded tiredly "Yeah, yeah I know. I still don't get why you won't play the Hot or Not Game with me though. Hell you won't even tell me who else pings on your gaydar."
"Because I'm not a skeevy skirt-chaser and gaydar doesn't exist. Besides, isn't guessing half the fun? Oh and quiet down would ya? I don't want to broadcast that specific fact to the world you know." The boy nodded and looked dejected as she stole a few fries. As they ate she directed her glance over to the jock/cheerleader table where Dianna sat beside a tall blonde boy, his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, Izzy. Chill with the evil eyes and gazing unless you really want everyone to know about your appreciation of the female form. Especially her female form." She waved him off and took a big bite out of a meatball, shooting one last glare at the jock before looking back at Ollie who'd started reading while eating. "Is that the Bendis Auto-Biography? I didn't even know it was out."
"It came out this morning, I swept by Borders on the way to school. I can't put it down. He talks about everything from Ultimate Spider-Man to Fear Itself." She tried to snatch the book from him but he was too quick, moving the book inches out of her grasp. "Fine, but the minute you finish can I pleeeease borrow it? I need to know how he thought up the Trapmaster arc in Spectacular Spider-Girl."
He nodded his assent, still munching mindlessly on his fries. They both looked up when a familiar face stood in front of their table. "Hey Shania, what's up?" They both looked up at the tan girl with light brown hair tied in a braid down to her back. "Oh the usual, trying to save the world one signature at a time. Are you guys in? Please say you are!" She held up two clipboards and hopped in place a little. Ollie and Izzy laughed before taking the clipboards and reading the petition.
Ollie raised an eyebrow "Wait you want kids to stop bringing their pets to show and tell? Why?" She moved around to sit on the other side of the table and clasped her fingers together before taking a deep breath and explaining. "These pets are used to the home environment being their natural habitat and by taking them to show and tell they are thrown for a loop. They are left wondering where they are, who these new people are, and what all these strange new smells are. These unnecessary stressors only lead to the possibility of increased health problems. I aim to alleviate these pets of the public torture that is Show and Tell! Just because an animal is a pet doesn't mean we don't have to fight for their rights too!"
Her voice grew louder as she went into her explanation, ending with her standing up, fist clenched, breathing hard as she looked down at her friends. After a moment she smiled down at the pair, unaware of the odd looks she was getting from others throughout the cafeteria. Izzy and Ollie both signed, hoping to quickly be rid of the overexcited girl. "Thank you for your participation."
"Never a problem, we just want to help the poor unfortunate house pets of the world." Izzy said seriously, bumping fists with Shania as the girl laughed. The long haired girl stiffened and tilted her head to the side a moment before a football came whizzing passed, barely missing her head. The ball soared passed the three and crashed right into the new math teacher, Mr. Chance. The students laughed until the Vice Principal walked in, pointed to three of the football players and called them to her office.
Ollie let out the breath he was holding in and looked from the teacher and his fallen belongings back to Shania who was smiling like she hadn't almost been hit by a football. "Well thanks for your help guys, the hamsters and gerbils of the world thank you." She skipped away towards another table that looked to be less accepting of her fight for pet's rights. Izzy just laughed as the girl left. "God she's batty. Gotta love her though."
Ollie's head was sideways as he watched the girl walking around for signatures and he received a slap to the side of the head. "Stop being a perv, it's unbecoming. I thought I raised you better than that." He adjusted his glasses again. "Hey, you can't blame me for crushing on one of the few girls that talks to me. I'd crush on you but that'd be awkward for a number of reasons. Plus I'd lose my discount on comics."
The blonde nodded as she cracked open the book now in her hands. "Yeah, my job at The Comic Café is like the best thing to ever happen to you." Ollie did a double take when he saw his book in her hands. "Hey give it back! I'm not done reading yet." She held it just out of reach as he dived across the table for it. "I'll finish it by tonight and you'll get it back tomorrow. You forget, my super power is my amazing ability to speed read and multi-task." He looked up at her questioningly as she stood up, holding his book in one hand and his fries in the other as she walked off. "Hey!"
Walking down the hallway Dianna chewed her lip as she approached her next class, grimacing the closer she got to the door. It was the worst part of her day for one very big reason. Her boyfriend currently had his arm over her shoulder, oblivious to her worrying as he chatted with Arianna and her boyfriend. Arianna turned to look back at the other brunette. "Hey, what's with your face?" The two boys, one tall and blonde, the other tanned with spiked hair stopped and looked down at the brunette, the blonde boy smiling down at her. "Are you really going to make that face every time you go to Creative Writing? Your face will get stuck like that you know."
She cracked a small smile that soured when she looked back at the open classroom door. "You don't know what it's like Charlie. Having to attend class everyday and come face to face with….that!" She pointed dramatically towards the door, eyeing it critically. Arianna rolled her eyes. "Oh just get over it." she said as the boy behind her chuckled. "Yeah I mean no one even cares about that. And no one would dare make fun of you for it." The blonde jock chuckled and tightened his grip on his backpack and "They're right, you're just gonna have to get used to it. You can't just skip the class Dianna. Don't let it get to you."
She stomped her foot and look at the tall blonde incredulously. "Don't let it get to me? How can I not? It's just not fair, no one else has to deal with this. I didn't even sign up for creative writing. I'm not even good at it. The best poem I ever wrote was ripped off of a Valentine's Day card!" Arianna just shrugged and walked off with the other boy trailing behind her. Dianna glared up at Charlie as he just laughed. "You know if you don't like my 'I don't want to go to Creative Writing' face I can show you the 'My boyfriend's being an ass and will never get to kiss me again' face. It's a real doozey."
He smiles down at the brunette and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Let's not go that far. Look, why not try to have fun with it. It's not the end of the world, it's just Creative Writing. You'll get used to it once you stop being such a sourpuss about it all. Now give me a kiss, I have to get to class." He puckered up goofily, making smooching sounds which drew a laugh from the pouting brunette who leaned up to give him a small peck.
"There now, now that's a face I want to see." He gave her another, longer kiss. His hands moving down to her hips as he pulled her closer. Dianna's eyes popped open and she pushed the blonde boy back, looking over his shoulder and seeing a flash of blonde hair disappearing back into the classroom. "Something wrong?" He looked down at her worriedly, his brows furrowed. "Yes, she's what's wrong!" She growled, looking towards the door as the bell rang.
Charlie sighed and looked up at the clock. "Oh damn, I can't be late for Bio. See you before practice babe!" He rushed down the hall, barely able to spin out of a collision with the dual haired girl. "Whoops, sorry Ronnie." The dual-tone haired girl rolled her eyes as she continued trotting down the hallway. Dianna walked to her classroom a few feet away and entered, refusing to look towards the front of the class. She sat at her desk next to Mickie and ducked her head.
The teacher cleared her throat and looked at the brunette who looked to be trying to hide herself in her desk. "Excuse me Ms. Fabray-Berry, why are you late?" Dianna shrugged her shoulders and kept her gaze on the desk. "Shrugging isn't an answer. Shrugging gets you detention. Shrugging is rude. As is slumping down in your seat." Amber colored eyes looked critically down at the brunette as the teacher began tapping her foot. Dianna sighed and sat up finally looking the teacher in the eyes for the first time. "I was talking with my boyfriend and we lost track of time."
"Making out in the hallway again Dianna? Not good. I'll be keeping my eye on you. Now please recite the poem at the top of page seventy-five of Miller's "Poetry in Motion."" The students all opened to the page as Dianna sighed, mumbling out an "Alright." Before she could start reading the teacher held a hand out, signaling for her to stop. "Just 'Alright'? I don't think so. Be more respectful than that."
Dianna rolled her eyes, hearing a few titters from her classmates. "Sorry Mrs. Fabray-Berry." At the front of the room Quinn smirked for a moment. "Sorry for what Dianna?" After another huff the brunette answered. "Sorry for being late and for my attitude Mrs. Fabray-Berry. It won't happen again."
Dianna glared when she saw her mother's half-smirk a moment before the older woman turned to write on the board. "Thank you for the apology, now start us off Dianna." She nodded and sat back down, shrinking into her seat again as she started to recite the poem, focused on one thought. 'My mother is evil.'
It was the last class of the day and Mr. Chance was currently engaging in a staring contest with his students. He tapped his foot impatiently, taking another look around the room. "Anyone? Can someone tell me how to start the equation at least?" He was still met with blank and confused faces. Heaving out a sigh he went back to the board and commenced showing the students how to solve for the Y variable. "Alright, so maybe I went a little too fast the first four times so I'll do it once more and please if at any point you get confused, just ask me about it." His voice near pleading as her began to go over the problem again.
It had been like this all day. Him trying to teach, the students all being unaware of what he was saying, his headache growing increasingly more painful as the day went on. Mason suspected that he was anticipating the day's end even more than the students as his eyes swept over the clock for the hundredth time in the passed ten minutes. None of them seemed to get it or even care about getting it and it was driving him insane. His back turned to the students he rolled his eyes and placed the marker back at the bottom of the board to and pulled worksheets out from his bag and started handing them out.
"This is tonight's homework. These are just some general math problems covering everything you should've learned up 'til this point with some more complicated problems thrown in to test you. They won't be graded, I simply want to get a better idea of where you guys are and what I have to go over." The bell finally chimed as he handed out the worksheet and he sighed in relief at finally being free of his hellish first day.
Mason gathered his things, watching the kids scramble through the hallway through narrowed eyes. He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching and brightened a little when he spotted Ms. Potts in his doorway. She looked up at him with trepidation written all over her face. "So how bad was your first day?" For the first time all day he laughed. "How could you tell?" The redheaded librarian shrugged. "Well I just remember my first day was filled with lots of awkwardness and an overwhelming feeling of failure. Plus you sort of look like someone made a field goal with your puppy." She nodded certainly as she rested back against one of the desks. "Now tell me, how bad was it?"
Mr. Chance nodded, putting his bag back down on his desk. "I couldn't get anything out of them all day. Not one person asked a question. Or answered one. I've never heard silence so awkward before." He rubbed his temple again as he started pacing. "I mean not one person asked a question even though they were obviously stumped. That or they just don't care. Or maybe I'm just a bad teacher."
Ms. Potts shook her head, smiling sadly up at the rambling man. "Don't get so worked up. It was your first day, there're supposed to be awkward and off-putting. Now you can start tomorrow without any expectations." He nodded unsurely as she continued. "And don't take it so personal. Teenagers are little sadists. They don't stop until they've beaten the passion for this job out of you. They make you hate the room you worked so hard to get to. They never put any of the books back where they belong. It's not that hard! They're in alphabetical order!"
Mason looked down at her weirdly, one eyebrow raised as he patted her on the shoulder testily. "Are you ok?" She snapped out of her rant and looked up at him embarrassed, cheeks flushed as she calmed down. "Just fine. It's just uh…well sometimes at the end of the day I have to decompress a little. I was on my way out to the fields when I saw you here." He nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I thought the Library was supposed to be open for at least an hour after school let out."
She nodded as they walked out of the classroom, hitting the lights on their way out. "Well it is. Sort of. We're open for returns. And I'm only one of two Librarians that works here so sometimes she'll keep it open. I, on the other hand, usually leave as soon as that clock strikes three." She looked fidgety as they walked down the hallway. He watched as she swiftly moved down the hallway, needing to walk faster to keep up. "You're kind of afraid of the students aren't you?"
Her eyebrows furrowed as she nodded. "Very. They're unpredictable and volatile. They frighten me." Her eyes shifted around, taking in the still busy hallway. Their stride was stopped when a short blonde girl and a brunette boy with glasses walked right in front of them, the blonde chatting on the phone. "Yeah Mami, Ollie's mom is gonna drop me off at work. No. I can just catch a cab home. Ok fine, I love you too. See you tonight."
She snapped her phone shut and noticed the two teachers. "Oh hey Ms. Potts. We were just looking for you." The blonde smiled up at the Librarian who gave her a nervous smile. The brown eyed boy spoke up "We tried to get to the Library before you left but you're quick. We were hoping you'd let us check something out. I told Izzy the library just got the new Jessica Rowling book."
The blonde looked up at the librarian hopefully, practically hopping in place along with the boy beside her. He recognized the girl as 'Ms. Lopez' from earlier in the day but her whole demeanor had changed. She was relaxed and excited. When she'd been in his class she had been bored and crass. However, she was also the only one who seemed to know anything. The girl in front of him was a completely different person.
"Sorry guys. Those won't be in until next week. I'll make sure you're the first ones I tell though." Both teens seemed to deflate but nodded nonetheless. The blonde's blue eyes seemed to acknowledge his presence for the first time. "Oh hey Mister uh….Algebra." He saw her face scrunch up in concentration for a moment before giving up. Ollie just waved at him from beside her. "It's Mr. Chance. Nice to see you again Ms. Lopez."
She looked worried for a second and grimaced. "Oh right. Well, hope your afternoon goes better." Her and Ollie began walking away but she stopped to dig something out of her backpack and stepped back over to the pair of teachers. "I know it's early but I don't really wanna hang on to it so here's the homework assignment you handed out. A little easy if you ask me but it'll probably give you a good idea of where most people are. Prepare for disappointment. Bye Ms. Potts." She waved good-bye as she rejoined her friend.
He took a moment to look over the sheet and wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised that from what he could see all of her answers seemed to be on the mark. He shook his head and looked back at the doors they had exited through. "That girl she…"
Ms. Potts smiled and nodded. "Yep. That's Izzy. She can be a handful but don't let her fool you, she's one of the good one. So is her friend. And that's what makes all this worthwhile." She turns the corner, stepping away from him as he looks at her questioningly "Makes what worth it?" Ms. Potts holds her arms out. "All of this. All the awkward days and blank stares are worth it if we just get to teach kids like them. At least you'll know one person is listening. I'll see you tomorrow." She walked off, leaving him smiling. Taking a deep breath he walked out of the school, wondering what the next day would hold and hoping it'd be better than today.
AN: A rather busy chapter depicting a "normal" day at Quigley High School and introducing quite a few new characters and setting up several characters to be introduced later. I hope you guys enjoyed. Please continue to review, I like hearing from you all so please don't be shy and just hit that button down there and drop me some of your thoughts!