By lunch, things had calmed down. Lunch was done by grade, ninth and tenth ate together, and then the upperclassmen ate after.
"You're gonna look pretty stupid when that 'cuuute sophomore' sees you in the underclassmen lunch." Lil said walking into the cafeteria alongside Kimi.
"Shut up. I doubt we'll even see hi-" Kimi cut herself off as she stared straight ahead through over dozen people to where Jake is. "Oh shit!"
"What?" Lil asked as Kimi went to hide behind her.
"There he is!" Kimi pointed straight again.
"Which one?"
"The sexy one Lil!"
"Well there's hardly anyone sexy near us." Lil looked behind her shoulder to the ducking Kimi.
"OH." Kimi stood.
"He's gone." Kimi sighed and Lil gave her a peculiar look, then grabbing the skin between her eyebrows.
Phil was showing his ass around a bunch sophomores and Tommy sat near him unamused.
"Yeah, so I told Krazinski to shove it and the old bitch gave me detention for a week." Phil said.
"She's still alive?" A dark haired friend of Phil's in a beanie said. His eyes were drowsy and kind of red.
"Doesn't it seem like the old teacher's you don't like live forever?" Another friend of Phil's said. He was blonde and kind of chubby.
"OH MY GOD. YES!" Phil overstated with dramatic motions.
They got their food and Tommy wondered why he was sitting with these stoners. He wondered why Phil was hanging with these stoners.
Up until eighth grade, Phil was an all right kid. Not exactly an academic but he stayed out of trouble. He got mixed up with the skaters, and the smokers and the delinquents and apparently hasn't realized how stupid it is. Getting detention was apparently what he was known for, no one got school level misdemeanors like him last year, but he was never suspended. It's stricter at the high school though, and Tommy wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep up with his old friend.
At another part of the cafeteria, at a table near one of the exits, Chuckie and Becka's friends made their way to sit down.
"I need a deck of Magic cards. I had been meaning to tell you." Becka told Chuckie, who she knows loves the card game.
"You play Magic?" Chuckie's green eyes lit up.
"Well I want to start." She smiled.
"I can tell you where to get some cards if you like."
"Aww, I was hoping you'd give me some of yours. I mean, why buy a whole deck if I don't like the game?"
"Everyone likes Magic." Chuckie said confidently. Becka sort of glared at him, then smiled. She then latched to his arm as she glared at Steve. Steve was blonde with bad acne on his face and he was sitting across from Becka and Chuckie eating; paying them no mind.
"Something wrong?" Chuckie asked the redder headed girl.
"Huh? No why?" She said ironically.
"Oh nothing." Chuckie said as she lay on his shoulder.
"Hey Chuckie." Tommy said after he had thrown away his tray nearby.
"Tommy. Hey, where ya been?" Chuckie smiled, showing his braces.
"Lost in the halls of people. How about you?" Tommy casually sat on the other side of Chuckie, getting weird looks from Becka.
"It's been fine. You like your classes?" Chuckie asked.
"They're all honors." Tommy made a tired face.
Chuckie turned, shaking Becka off his arm. "All honors? Dude, all I have is honors English." The redhead said and the boys laughed out loud.
"Well I have photography next period, so I finally get a break. They're already assigning homework."
"Me and Becka have Gym next period. Then, MATH!" Chuckie stuck his tongue out like he was gonna puke. Tommy laughed.
"Aw no. Dude you suck at math." Tommy chuckled.
"I don't know why. I have glasses and freckles. I shouldn't be bad at school!" Chuckie said with sarcasm and Tommy nudged his arm with his fist laughing hard.
"Ah choo." Becka fake sneezed. Chuckie and Tommy kept talking though.
"Bless you." Steve said after taking a big bite of his sandwich. Becka then glared at him again and Steve returned to his lunch.
Back with Lil and Kimi they sat and talked about their plans for the year. "4.0 grade averages are overrated. Back in middle school, all it got me was a cheap MP3 player and a gift card for McDonalds." Kimi frowned.
"Oh wow that's gay." Lil chuckled.
"That's what?" Kimi asked her with a furrowed brow.
"That's lame."
"Lil. Do you how totally ignorant it is to call things gay like that?" Kimi protested.
"Kimi, we live in a diverse, cultured but ultimately slanted world full of different people of differing views and lifestyles. Calling someone gay is already a completely illogical statement, so what difference does it make if I call something unpleasant gay?" Lil reprimanded.
"It's the context. Gay people have been prejudiced against for years and are finally being considered equal. Slandering them by calling negative things gay is no better than making a racial slur." Kimi says.
"Kimi, who's to say that the gay I'm referring to is the homosexual one, as opposed to it meaning happy?"
"Then you'd be being ironic. But it's still incorrect. Regardless, how am I supposed to know what definition you're using? I have gay friends, and the first I hear the word used negatively I'm gonna go off." Kimi said.
"Well I guess we'll agree to disagree. Calling stuff gay kind of just rolls of the tongue." Lil shrugged.
"Now that's gay!" Kimi joked and Lil blushed.
"Ew! Not what I meant Kimi!" The girls laughed loudly for a minute or two. Every time they stopped they started again.
The thing about Kimi and Lil's friendship is that even though they didn't see eye to eye on everything, they're able to understand each other in a diplomatic way, allowing almost any argument to turn into a joke later.
The girls caught their breath and continued talking. "I didn't mean to offend anyone, but Kim, it's not like that's the first time I've said it. Is there something else wrong?" Lil enquired.
"I mean. I don't know." Kimi said.
"That's a first. I thought you had it all together?" Lil raised her brow. Kimi was quiet and Lil moved in a bit.
"Lil." Kimi finally said.
"Hmm?"
"What if…Well what if I thought someone we knew was gay?"
"What?! Who?" Lil was surprised at the thought.
"I think. I think that-" Kimi said then stopped. She looked up past Lil to see Jake coming close with some friends. "Oh shit!" Kimi ducked under the table.
"Oh what the hell Kimi?!" Lil said then looked behind. She saw the glasses wearing guy and knew who Kimi meant. "Jake? You like Jake?"
"Isn't he dreamy?" Kimi said from under the table. "Is he gone?"
"Yes you maniac." Kimi climbed back up. "Looks like lunch is over." Lil stood.
"Aww! Now we have to depart." Kimi said.
"Wait, tell me who you think is…y'know." Lil whispered.
"I have no clue what you're talking about!" Kimi disappeared into the exiting crowd, leaving Lil alone. The brunette sighed and head out. Near the exit she sees Chuckie and Tommy talking side by side and smiles. She jogs up toward them before she trips over something.
"Damn Lil, watch out." Phil laughed.
"Phil you dip. Watch your feet." She stood and shoved him, and then she gave adverse looks toward his stoner friends. "Did one of you losers dare him to do that or something?"
"We said you two look just a like. But, you know, you're way hotter." Phil's friend said. "Guess he got jealous."
"Can it Greg, before I tell Chelsea." Lil glared at her brother's beanied friend. Greg's mouth instantly snapped shut and he stepped back.
Lil glowered at her brother and his friends and they nearly flinched. She walked away.
"Dude your sister's scary." Greg said.
"Well I live with her. She's just acting tough." Phil crossed his arms.
"I'd hit it." Phil's blonde friend said, Phil punching him sharply in the arm.
"I'm just kidding!"
"What? So my sister's not good enough for you?!" Phil punched him again.
"No man, she's super-hot!"
"That's my sister dude!" Phil continued to haymaker his friend's torso while Greg stood there and laughed.
Lil kept down the hall before she was greeted by a girl in her grade. "Lillian! I finally found you!" A platinum blonde girl with a bright smile said as she walked beside the brunette.
"Korey. Hey." Lil hugged the girl.
"Ugh, this place is so big. I've been looking for you all day I swear." The blonde said dramatically.
"I'm surprised I haven't seen you in any of my classes."
"I know. Do you have a full honors schedule?"
"I sure do."
"Well, let me see it." Korey gestured. Lil dug in her back pocket and pulled the paper out. Korey delicately took it.
"Accelerated English! You and me!" Korey high fived Lil.
"Awesome." Lil smiled.
"So where you heading?"
"Gymmm." She sang in her bubbly voice.
"Well tell my friend Chuckie I said hi." Lil said.
"Your friends with Chuckie Finster?"
"Yeah."
"He's so funny." Korey smiled. "He and I had cooking together last year."
"Did you? Cool, maybe we can all hang out." Lil smiled.
"Totally. I really want a gay friend this school year." Korey smiled and continued to walk, Lil stopped in her tracks.
"Huh?" Lil's face scrunched up.
"Chuckie. He's gay isn't he?" Korey turned.
"Chuckie? Um no. I don't think so." Lil said seriously.
"Oh. Well he's still hilarious. I'll catch you later Lil!" Korey jogged off.
Lil stood there. She had known Chuckie nearly her whole life. Him being gay would be strange to her. He was never the most popular or most 'normal' but him being gay? The brunette didn't know how she felt about that. She head off to her next class, forgetting what she had heard.
Tommy stepped into the dark room and was taken aback by the monitors, computers and variety of web-cameras, digital cameras and the diverse collection of cameras from old to new.
"Sick right?" Trevor was sitting in the dark room.
"When'd you see all this man?"
"My brother told me about it. I was up here in the summer checking it out."
"Awesome. Hey is that girl you mentioned earlier in this class?"
"You mean Katie? No I don't think so. Did you sign up in the main office for the club?"
"Oh man, I forgot." The boy scratched his indigo head.
"Well there's a meeting Wednesday. Everyone's welcome, so don't worry about it."
"Cool." Tommy said. He took a seat at Trevor's table and they chatted while a few other students arrived.
"Hello class." A man that looked to be in his early thirties appeared. His hair was wavy and dirty blonde. His eyes were bright blue and he was dressed business casually. "Sheesh, small class." The man said.
He picked up a remote and clicked it. "Well, I am," A projector appeared and on the screen in bold gold shiny letters it said Mr. Asher Dugan.
"Yes. Mr. Dugan. Mr. Asher works. I don't really give a damn." He smiled at the class who smiled along with him.
"Today we're all just gonna get to know each other. This is simply a class where you take pictures of different crap. Grades are based on, 1." He clicked. 'Precision.'
"If I want a picture of a damn Dog." He looked at everyone. "I want the damn dog. Not the sidewalk." He clicked to a picture of concrete and what looked to be the paw of a dog in the right corner.
"Not the owner." He clicked to a picture showing a stereotypically happy young blonde girl with the top of a dog's ears at the bottom of the screen.
"Not its ass!" He clicked to the rear of the dog and the class erupted in the laughter.
"I just want," He clicked to a beagle looking at the screen under a blue sky. "The dog in its entirety. I mean, come on." He says funnily and the students continue their laughter.
"2," He clicks. 'Originality.' I swear, if I get another picture of a tree or cloud again, I'm gonna hang myself!" Mr. Dugan gestured a noose over his head, to the amusement of his students.
"And 3, is the most important. Can anyone guess what it is?" He asked the class.
A boy raised his hand. "Clearness?"
"No. That's a part of precision." Dugan said. "Anyone else?"
A girl in glasses raised her hand. "Personality?"
"That's originality, hun." Mr. Dugan said. "No one?"
Tommy raised his hand. "Fun." He said and the class looked at him like he was crazy. Mr. Dugan looked at him peculiarly and the class was quiet. The teacher then sighed and clicked.
Fun.
Tommy's face lit up and the class erupted into incessant whispers.
"Dude. How'd you know that?" Trevor leaned across the table.
"This is all from a photography book I read back in middle school. I wasn't sure if he was quoting it or not." Tommy shrugged.
"What's your name kid?" Dugan pointed at tommy.
"Tommy."
"Tommyyyy Johnson? Smith? Tommy Jefferson?" Dugan joked.
"Pickles." Tommy nodded and the kids looked at him.
"Excuse me?" The teacher furrowed his brows.
"Pickles. Tommy Pickles." He said again and the class erupted in to laughs. Mr. Dugan only grinned.
"I don't know what you're all laughing about, Tommy Pickles just earned himself bonus." Dugan said and the class went silent.
"I'm joshing of course. Bonus is for the stupid and underachieving." Mr. Dugan said crisply. "In MY honest opinion." He said to keep from generalizing.
"Now I'm gonna hand out syllabi, then the rest of the period's yours since I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on." Dugan said and pointed to a male student to take a stack of papers and pass them out.
Trevor and Tommy talked the rest of the class. The bell rung and Mr. Dugan called Tommy up after most of the small class left. Trevor smiled and patted Tommy on the back, before he left the room. It was just Tommy and Mr. Asher now.
"What grade are you in Pickles?" Asher was behind his desk.
"Ninth." The boy said.
"Freshman. Oh man. Well I'm sure I would have heard of you if you weren't. You like photography?"
"Well of course." Tommy said obviously.
"A lot of freshmen take my class for an easy A, but I know you really must give a damn huh?" The teacher said.
"I do. I've been making movies since I was a toddler. Taking pictures is just a plus."
"Why aren't you in video arts then?" Asher asked.
"I wanted a challenge. Work on my precision." The boy smiled, as did Mr. Dugan.
"I like you Tommy. You have serious potential. Are you doing film club?"
"I am."
"Good. Now, I've been trying to get old Novak to allow me to break it off, and make a full-fledged photography club, but he said it's too old school or something." Dugan said. "Bull shit, am I right?"
"Yes sir. Bullshit." Tommy smiled. Dugan smirked then stood.
"Well, while our principal is a bit of prick, I'm sure I can make something work. You'll be at the film club meeting Wednesday I presume?"
"I will."
"All righty. I'll see you then Tommy Pickles."
"I'll see you Mr. Dugan."
"Asher, Tommy."
"Hmm?"
"Asher." Mr. Dugan gave Tommy a thumb up. The boy left the room in a good mood.
Oooo what's up with Chuckie? What's Lil's gonna do? And Kimi! Oh man and then there's Phil, lol he's a mess. It's gonna get real wild but hopefully not confusing later. SO MANY STORYLINES. I hope you enjoyed. Reviews appreciated! Tell what you guys like, or don't like so far pwease.:3 thankies
~Shawn