"Hello? Is anyone here?" Jess called out
"Hey!" A feminine voice came from behind Jess. Jess turned around and saw a girl with tan skin, brown hair styled in an over the shoulder braid and brown eyes. "I'm Autumn. I heard this school was opening today, so I stopped by to check it out! This place isn't much to look at yet, but you can make this the best school ever! You'll probably want a place to hang out."
Construction workers starts to build the nerd hideout
"Anyway, it's nice to meet you! I go to Hearst High. It's right over there." Autumn smiled
"Nice to meet you, Autumn." Jess smiled back
"Thanks! It was really boring before you got here."
"So, you usually hang out in empty lots?"
"Actually, I come here pretty often to get away. The people at Hearst can be... well, they can be jerks. I've been wanting to transfer to this school ever since I heard it was opening! But Hearst High is the most prestigious school in the area... and my dad won't let me transfer. That's why I'm so excited you're here! Since this school is just opening, it's really up to the people here to improve it. You can make this school even better than Hearst High... and then my dad will let me transfer for sure!"
"Awesome! This isn't going to be much of a school if I'm the only student."
Construction workers build the admission office. A jock enrolled here, she was wearing a white tank top, black legging and sneakers. Her name is Emily Cobb
"Emily! Welcome!" Autumn and Jess welcomed
"Hey, Danny! Want to run some laps? Shoot some hoops? Hurdle some hurdles?" exclaimed Emily
"You're just full of energy, aren't you?" Jess smiled
"But before we do all that, don't we need to go to class?"
"Good point. You seem to be a little short on classrooms right now."
Construction workers build a classroom
"This school's first classroom! So exciting! Let me get a picture of you next to it! That way we can look back on this day and remember it was the start of something big. Now smile!"
Jess and Emily posed as Autumn takes a photo, lunch break ended Jess and Emily head to English where they had Mr Greg he didn't teach much given they were two students.
"Look at you, hitting the books already!" said Autumn
"We know how to study." said Jess
"Maybe the nerd can gives up pointer writing an essay." Emily chuckled
All of a sudden, Jess's phone went off with a notification. She frowned as she took her phone from the pocket of her black pants and looked at the text.
"I have a message from some girl named Kara." Jess said. Autumn paled at the mention of Kara.
"Oh no. That must be Kara Sinclair. She's the head cheerleader at Hearst and not someone you want to mess with. She's one of the jerks I told you about, Jess." Autumn informed her.
How does she even know my number?" Jess asked with a confused look on her face.
"Oh, it must have been easy for her. She's an expert in rumours and blackmail."
"Of course, she would be." Jess groaned as she put a hand around her neck. "Let me see what she wants."
"I wouldn't go alone if I were you. She probably is with her boyfriend, Max Warren. He's the son of the principal of Hearst. Those two are really rich." Autumn warned.
"Who says I'm going alone, Autumn? You coming?" They smiled then they followed Jess to the school entrance where a tall, athletic-looking guy with short blonde hair, ocean blue eyes and some stubble on his face was waiting. He was dressed in a green letterman jacket, a black shirt, jeans and sneakers. Besides him was a girl in green cheerleading uniform and her black hair was in a ponytail with bangs. Jess presumed them to be Max and Kara.
"Well, well, well. Seems like Loser High got its first loser." Max called out boisterously.
"And lookie what we have here. Little Miss Quirkface. I always thought Autumn was a loser but not a traitor." Kara sneered, a hand going to her waist.
"Hey, back off! What do you have against our school anyway?" Emily asked hands crossed on her chest.
"There's a plan for this land and it doesn't involve your crappy school." Max venomously spat.
Jess watched smugly at their discomfort. "I don't know you two or what you're all about, but you can't go around bullying people."
Kara gave Jess a glare and stepped closer to her. "And what you going to do about it, dork?" Kara hissed.
"Well, I can't hit you unfortunately. With all that make-up on, it feels like you're wearing face armor." Jess commented.
"Excuse me?" Kara looked at her in disbelief.
"Yeah, it looks like a clown threw up on your face." Autumn and Emily burst out laughing
She shrugged and looked at her friends who were laughing so hard. Kara growled in frustration and said, "This is so not funny. I won't forget this." She stomped her foot on the ground and marched off with Max.
Once the laughter had died down, Autumn said, "Now you see why I don't like being at Hearst."
"I don't think anyone should put up with bullies like them. I'm going to make this a school where everyone can feel welcome. Everyone can try all kinds of activities support each other with they studies until they decided what they want to do later in life."
"So exciting I want to try all kinds of activities track, tennis, volleyball, football, soccer, bastketball, swimming, horseriding, rockclimbing, gymnastic." Emily listed
"This list goes on." Jess chuckled
Jess heard Autumn sniffle and was surprised when she gave her a hug from behind. "Oh, Jess. I wish could transfer here."
Jess put her hands over Autumn's and told her, "Don't worry, Autumn. I'm sure he'll come around. We'll convince him soon enough."
Autumn let go of Jess and wiped her tears. "Yeah, well I have to go now. See you, Jess." She waved at her then Brianna and walked off.
"So, Emily, what do you think? What else do we need?" Jess asked
"Well, we've got brains, and we've got sports... but we really don't have much in the way of style…" Emily pointed
Construction worker build a prep hangout
"Awesome! Now we just need a prep to hang out here!"
A prep enrols, she was wearing a white dress and matching flats her name is Brianna Armstrong
"Welcome to our school, Brianna." Jess and Emily cheered
"Good to be here! Does anyone want to party? Because I would love to party."
"Hey! Jess!" Autumn called out I know we need to get more students to keep this place open... and I thought of someone we might be able to recruit! His name's Julian, and he's a star football player at Hearst High. But, well, he's been having some problems there. I'll go get him, but in the meantime, keep recruiting for your school! We're going to need a lot more people, and it'll help us impress Julian."
Not long a nerd Tommy, a jock Danny and a prep Greg have enrolled
"Oh, and if you have a sec, Jess, I want to talk to you about something. Come find me when you have time to talk!" said Emily
"Hey, Emily! You said you wanted to talk about something?"
"I've been thinking a lot about the school... and I've got some big ideas!"
"Okay, lets talk. I want to hear all about them!"
"This school could really use something special. Something that makes us stand out from other schools. Some decorations would go a long way."
"Let's do it!"
Flower were added to the school
"Well? What do you think of that?" Jess asked
"Oh yeah... those flowers look great! This place is starting to look really nice!"
"Hey, Danny. Got a sec?" Emily called
"What's up?" Jess asked
"I could use a little help. See, the Iron Warrior Challenge is coming up this weekend."
"Is that, like, a cooking contest?"
"What? No! It's a great test of physical fitness! A three-step endurance challenge, modeled after the training rituals of ancient Spartan warriors! The winner has to prove themselves in a 2 mile race... hit a bullseye with an arrow at 60 feet... and beat 3 opponents at fencing!"
"That sounds grueling."
"Gruelingly amazing!"
"I'm not sure those two words have ever been used like that."
"So this is going to be your first time competing?"
"Actually, I competed last year and it... didn't work out... But that's in the past! This year, I'm gonna win, and I'm gonna win big! Only thing is... I could use a little help."
"Oh yeah?"
"Well, I need to work on my sprinting, and I run a lot better if I've got someone to race against. Mind running with me?"
"All right! 2 mile race! You ready to do this?"
"Ready if you are... just don't get too upset if I beat you to the finish!"
While later
"Huff... huff... whoo! That felt goooooood!"
"You're... pretty fast..."
"Well, I've got to be. The Iron Warrior Challenge is no joke!"
"Need help with anyone else?"
"Actually, yeah. The next phase of the Challenge is an archery competition..."
"If this involves putting an apple on my head, I'm out."
"Ha, no, nothing like that. I just need some new targets to shoot at. I used to practice in my backyard, but my mom made me stop after I put an arrow through her bird-feeder."
"Buying you some new targets? I'll see what I can do! How are these?"
"A scarecrow, a classic bullseye, and a cardboard cutout of a sparkly vampire? It's perfect!"
"Just make sure you put them down away from the school..."
"Oh wait! One more thing! An Iron Warrior can't just run and shoot! They also need to be able to prove themselves in combat... By winning at the dignified and elegant sport of fencing!"
"I guess I can help..."
"That'll be good, but I don't know if my rival will be a guy or a girl... so I ought to practice against both! You two ready to fence?"
"The edges of these swords are taped, right?" Tommy asked
"Yeah, are you sure this is safe?" Greg asked
"En garde! Whoo! That was great!" said Emily
"You're really handy with a sword..." said Greg
"I think I did pretty well myself..." said Tommy
"All right, Jess! You're up!" Emily tosses you a tapered sword! Jess walk forward...
"So how does this work exactly?"
"Like this!" Emily lunges towards Jess, jabbing at her chest! Jess neatly block the slice, deflecting Emily's sword!
"Oh... nice reflexes!"
Jess flail out, missing, but Emily's sword hits the side of her leg! "Ow! Is that even allowed?"
"It is in the Iron Warrior contest! I win! Thanks for the practice, Jess! I really needed it!"
"When this is all over... I'm challenging you to a rematch!"
One hour later
"All right! That's running, shooting, and fencing all covered! You're good to go, right?" Jess asked
"Well... kind of. I don't know. Maybe." said Emily
"What's wrong, Emily? Something bothering you?"
"Sigh... the truth is, last year when I competed in the Iron Warrior challenge, I didn't just lose. I got hurt. I overexerted myself in the race, slipped and twisted my leg really bad. I had to be on crutches for two weeks. I thought I was over it. I thought it was fine. But now I'm kind of starting to freak out. What if I get hurt again? I don't want to go through that. Maybe I should just back out."
"No. You can't do that, Emily."
"Why not?"
"Because you can't give in to fear. I don't know if you'll get hurt out there or not. But I know that if you don't go, you'll always regret it. You can't live your life doubting yourself and focusing on the past. Laugh in the face of fear, and fight 'til you win. That sounds like something the Spartans would say, right?"
"Yeah, it does. And you're right."
"Of course I am. Now what do you say? Got time for a little last-minute self-improvement?"
"You bet I do." Emily studies with Tommy help learning new thing she didn't in class
"How do you feel now?"
"Fantastic! Amazing! Like I could take on the entire world!"
"And I'm ready to cheer you on!"
"Yeah?"
"Of course! Every warrior needs an entourage, right? I'll make sure to bring some friends!"
Jess invite Autumn, Greg and Tommy to watch
"Look! It's starting!" Autumn pointed
"Go, Emily, go!" Greg cheered
"Run! Shoot! Fence! Emily won the race by five seconds and tied in the archery contest." said Jess
"But now it's time to fence, and Emily's rival is really good! Look at him go!" said Greg
"Oh no! Emily stumbled." Tommy frown
"It was a feint! Emily landed the hit, after all! It's a win!" Autumn cheered
Everyone cheered and clapped
"I... I did it! I won! I actually won!" said Emily
"You were amazing out there! I haven't seen so much running, shooting, and fencing since my uncle's wedding!" said Jess
"I don't know how you did it... but that was straight up incredible." said Greg
"Thanks, Jess. I never could have done it without you." Emily hugged Jess
"No worries. Anything for a friend."
"Jess! Do you have a minute to talk? I could kind of use some help..." Tommy called
"Sure! What's going on?" Jess asked
"Okay, well, you know all about Lightning Bug, right?"
"Like... the insect?"
"Like, the greatest sci-fi TV show of all time! Space western about a roguish captain and his wise-cracking crew? Their second season just aired a month ago, and every sci-fi fan in the world can't wait for it to come back?"
"It's ringing a bell..."
"Yeah, well, good news! As the President of the local Lightning Bug Fan Club, The Greencoats, I've arranged for our school to host a convention!"
"That sounds fun..."
"Oh, it'll be awesome. I've already had 50 fans respond to the event on Facebook! There's just one little thing... I have no idea how to throw a convention! Where will people sit? What will they do? What kind of snacks will I have? Should there be snacks at all? Do I want a snack right now?"
"Slow down, Tommy. Take a deep breath. Let's take this one step at a time."
"Okay... I'm guessing we'll need a place to hold the convention. I'm thinking a big outdoor area for reenactments, and a nice indoor area for the panels..."
"How's that?"
"It's perfect! There's enough room for us to recreate episode 4's classic space dance AND hold a panel on which two characters should hook up!"
"What's the next step?"
"Well, we'll need to decorate, of course. We'll need streamers... and some glitter... a hot glue gun... balloons? People decorate with balloons, right?"
"Hmm... I think you'll need someone with a little more expertise to help you out..." Jess called Greg over
"You'll help me decorate? Really?" Tommy asked
"Sure, I'll try, but... I gotta say, I don't really know much about all this nerd stuff..." said Greg
"Well, maybe we should go watch an episode of Lightning Bug while we set up... just to get you caught up to speed..."
"Well, okay... just one..."
"This is going great! We've got some decorations up... and we watched the entire first season of Lightning Bug!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but... that was actually pretty good! I'm always a sucker for some good romantic tension..."
"These decorations look amazing!"
"This is all really coming together, isn't it?"
"It's perfect! There's just one last thing I kind of wanted... one last dream of mine..."
"Hit me."
"I'd love it if some people could help me film a remake of the climatic scene from last season's finale, so we could screen it at the convention! We'll need someone to be the roguish mercenary, Axle... someone else to be the beautiful seductress, Milana... and of course, someone to be the captain!"
"Leave it to me!"
"Everyone ready? Here are your scripts!" Tommy hands out the script
"Should I do, like, an accent? I'm pretty good at accents..." said Maya
"Is there going to be any kissing involved? Because I don't know how comfortable I am with that..." Emily asked nervously
"No kissing and no accents! Let's roll! And Jess, don't forget your catchphrase... 'Space dreams never die!'" Tommy noted
"'Space dreams never die.' Got it! Now let's get practicing!" said Jess
Jess hunker down behind the model of the spaceship as everyone starts acting.
"Ahem! 'We've won the battle, my friends, but not the war. The Conglomerate is still strong. And they'll keep hunting us down.' said Emily
'We got the truth out there, Captain. And that's what matters.' said Maya
'I just wanna get paid! Grumble grumble!' said Greg
'Ha! Ha! Classic Axle!' said Emily
'BTW, I love you, Captain.' said Maya
'And I you, Milana. And I you.'
'As this journey ends, we must always remember... Space dreams never die!' said Jess
"And... scene! Perfect! That was amazing! You nailed it!" said Tommy
"Yeah?"
"Of course! Great work, everyone! This video came out great! The fans are gonna love it!"
"Hold one sec... I just got a text... Oh... oh no... no, it can't be."
"What's wrong? Did someone get hurt?"
"No... it's so much worse than that! Lightning Bug has been cancelled!" Tommy runs off, devastated! Jess runs after Tommy
"Hey, Tommy. You all right?"
"N... no... not really. I just can't believe it! How could those executives cancel Lightning Bug? They're greedy, money-grubbing monsters!"
"Do you want to talk for a little while?"
"That'd be nice, yeah."
"I just... I know Lightning Bug never got the best ratings. I know most people probably prefer to watch High School Dance Heroes or Bachelorette Foxhole... But it's SUCH a good show, and it's just so unfair that more people didn't get to find out about it!"
"Look... it sucks that the show got cancelled. And it sucks that more people didn't know about it. But you can't let that get you down. I mean, isn't that part of what being a nerd is about? Being into things that are challenging or offbeat or obscure? It's not easy being outside of the mainstream... but that doesn't mean it's not worth it."
"Yeah. You're right. I loved the first two seasons of Lightning Bug... and I wouldn't give that up for anything."
"Besides... the show might be off the air, but you'll always have your memories of it, not to mention all the friends you made in the fandom."
"Do you think people will still show up to the convention?"
"Only one way to find out. Follow me."
Greg see all his friend gathered at the convention
"What... what's everyone doing here?"
"We're here for the convention, of course! And this is just the beginning! There's more and more people coming every minute!"
"Really? Even though the show got cancelled?"
"ESPECIALLY because the show got cancelled. Us fans have to stick together! Now come on! Let's have a good time!"
And so, a while later...
"Jess... that was amazing! That was the best convention ever! I got to cosplay and do panels and shout random lines and everything! People even loved our video!"
"So you're not too sad about that?"
"Oh, I'm still a little sad. But it's okay. It was worth it to have such a good time. Besides! The fans have been talking, and we're all going to try to petition the studio to make a spinoff movie! Do you think it could happen?"
"It sounds like a bit of a longshot... but as a very wise man I know once said... Space dreams never die! You could write a fanfiction what happens next."
"Lighting Bug will continue on. I better start writing." Tommy runs off
"Hey, Jess. Looking good!" said Brianna
"I am?" Jess asked
"Yep! And that's why we need to talk about this school. We're all going to need to look our very best in order to attract the hottest caliber of new students."
"Don't you mean the 'highest' caliber?"
"Eh... that too! What do you think about putting on a fashion show to let the whole world see how we strut?"
"That sounds like a lot of fun! I'm in!"
"So what's the first step in putting on a fashion show?"
"Now then! First things first, we can't have a fashion show without a runway."
"What do you think about our new runway? I figure if a cobblestone path works in Paris, it can work for us too, right?"
"Somebody's been reading up on fashion!"
"Well, actually, I-"
"No! Don't ruin the magic. I want to remember you exactly as you are right now for forever. Moment's over! Moving on!"
"So we have a runway... don't we need some fashion for this fashion show?"
"I've got that covered... but we do need food, lights, and a red carpet."
"Whoa... that was a lot of cash just to put on a show for one night!"
"It costs money to look money! Plus, with all the money I earned selling tickets, we're definitely in the green."
"Tickets?"
"Did you think we'd let people in for free? Next stop, an audience full of moochers devouring out hors d'oeuvres!
"That... seems unlikely... especially since we don't have any hors d'oeuvres... Besides, it's not what I meant... this ticket says our fashion show is scheduled to start any second now! Do we even have models yet?
"Okay, so I might've forgotten one minor detail... But now is not the time to point fingers! Now is the time to locate models ASAP! And don't forget... we'll need a wide variety of looks to really do the outfits justice!"
"Uh, we're happy to help out with the fashion show, but what did you want us to do again?" Emily asked
"Yeah, did you want me to operate the lightboard?" Tommy asked
"I guess I could lift some heavy stuff." said Emily
"Actually, you two are going to be modeling looks for the show!" said Brianna
"In public?"
"With people?"
"Exactly! It'll be great!" Tommy and Emily look at Brianna askance.
"What? I dress to be seen!"
"Well, I don't feel comfortable with people staring at my outfit unless I'm dressed as a stormtrooper!" said Tommy
"Come on, guys. We're counting on you two to make this fashion show happen. Just think of it like cosplay! Models don't just wear clothes... they need to tell a story that can transport the audience to another place!" said Jess
"When you put it like that... I shall be draped in luxurious raiment, like the beloved House of Alderaan!"
"All right, models! To the runway!"
Brianna, Danny and Emily model their looks on the Runway. The audience roars with applause!
"Wow! You guys were dazzling on the runway! You were like real fashion models!"
"You bet! Is this jock strapping or what?"
"Consider rephrasing..."
"I call my look Nerde Coutre!"
"And this outfit is, well... straight from my closet, but they don't call it Ready-To-Wear for nothing!"
"Heh... whatever they call it, it was smoking hot!"
During intermission...
"Uh, Brianna? Why do you look like you're about to pass out?" Jess asked
"In... in the front row... the woman in the purple hat... She's a talent scout for Jean De Milan, the local fashion designer... my lifelong hero!" said Brianna
"But... that's good news, right? I mean, isn't it exciting?"
"No! It's terrifying! I was just throwing this show together to have some fun and show off the school, not to impress the designer who single-handedly invented jeggings!"
Brianna! Calm down! If this scout's here, that means Jean de Milan is interested in what you're doing! That means this is an opportunity! We've still got half of intermission left. Why don't you take a minute to collect yourself, take a deep breath, and come at this with a fresh perspective?"
Brianna studies at the library with Tommy help
"Well, Brianna? Feeling any better?" Jess asked
"Actually... yeah. Yeah, I am. I realized that if I just tried to please the scout, then I'd just be conforming, copying, being unoriginal. I wouldn't be true to myself... and that's what fashion should be about. I started this fashion show so I could show off the styles of this school, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. And if the scout doesn't like it... well, that's her loss." said Brianna
"That's the spirit! So intermission's just about up. What's next?"
"It's funny that you ask... because you are!"
"Me?"
"You did so much to help me, I just had to save the final spot for you! Now go get ready to get out there!"
"Okay, I'm ready for the runway, but I still don't know what I should be doing out there."
"Mostly, you just walk confidently. But at the end of the runway, you'll need to perform a signature look for the crowd. Show some attitude! Do something people will remember!"
"Okay, well, how about this? When I reach the end of the runway, I'll flash a smile!"
"I love it! If you look like you're having a wonderful time, the audience will too! Now remember, the key to walking down the runway is strut, pose, strut. You got that?"
"Strut, pose, strut! Got it! Here goes nothing!"
Jess step onto the runway, take a deep breath, and Jess strut confidently down the runway!
"Yes!" said Brianna
When Jess reach the end, Jess strike a pose and flash a big smile! The crowd cheers! Then Jess turn around, look back down the runway, and Jess strut elegantly back to the end of the runway! The crowd cheers wildly!
"Nice!" said Brianna
"How'd I do, Greyson?" Jess asked
"You were amazing! Incredible! Fab-tastic! That was the best modeling I've ever seen!"
"Eh, just a little thing I do. How do you think the fashion show went, Greyson?"
"The point was to show off how fashionable our school is... and we definitely succeeded!"
"And the scout? Did she say anything?"
"Oh, you know, not much... Just that she loved it and wants me to apply for an internship with Jean de Milan when summer rolls around!"
"Seriously! That's great news!"
"I couldn't have done it without you, Danny. Thanks for everything!"