Nicole walked to her desk to grab her pencil. "Gosh, I'm always forgetting to get my things." Joseph smiled at her and moved so she could get back to her spot. It was time for forensics, and they had been learning about the crime scene search patterns. Each group was assigned a search pattern and needed to identify the key points on how it is used during an investigation. "Okay, so what is the theme we should be going for?" Wally asked his group. "I think we should add the decorations and stuff after we have our information down," Nicole responded. Donna was looking on the board for what was listed. "We first need to explain how the search pattern works. Then talk about the investigation that was assigned to us." She then looked at the laminated paper. "So, if we do a quadrant method, how will that make our investigation easier?" Joseph grabbed the marker and looked at his group to begin. They got a good chunk of it done. William looked at the paper and said, "I think we should put some bugs and plants, and like splatters since it's all science stuff." They looked at him and Joesph nodded. "Actually... that's a good idea. Nice thinking Billy." Nicole looked at the country boy smiling. Donna looked at the poster and thought that her group was doing really well. Suddenly the group gasped. "MAN. DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO BRING FOOD INTO THE LAB?" Wally had spilled blue Gatorade all over the anchor chart paper and William looked like he was ready to run him over. "Sorry!" Donna rolled her eyes. She gently took the bottle from Wally and put it on the floor. "Nicole, can you ask if you can if we can get another paper." "Yeah, sure thing." William went to grab the tube of brown paper towels and created a giant pile. "Here!" He shoved it towards Wally. "You made this mess now clean it!" Joseph grabbed his phone to take a picture to make sure they could replicate their anchor chart. The boys made sure that the table was dry before they could begin on their new anchor chart. "Okay well, we have like six minutes to complete this. I can get it done since I write really fast." Wally grabbed a marker and opened it. "Umm… your handwriting looks like hieroglyphics so I'm going to write it again." Nicole took another marker and began writing. Wally put his hand on the paper to block her. "But we're not going to get done sweetheart. Let me do it." "Eww! Don't call me that again!"
"Okay, I need a blue marker." Jiya held out her hand. "Nah. Make it green." Seymour handed her a thick sharpie and looked over her shoulder. Antonia looked at her notes trying to see what her group needed to write down. "Look here at my journal." She put it next to their work. Jade looked at her group members in annoyance. Seymour worked with Mikron to identify key details in their investigation. Jiya and Antonia immediately got to work while Jade was simply standing there. "Hey, aren't you going to help us?" asked the short boy. "Yeah, I'm just thinking of ideas." The group managed to be ahead of the whole class, finishing first. Antonia decided that she wanted to make it look nice and added a few doodles at the bottom. "I like your nails. I noticed they're always done." The goth had complimented her and there was an awkward silence. "Jade sometimes needs a moment to think if she wants to say something rude or just physically assault you." Mikron snickered and Seymour tried to hold his laughter. Jade glared at the boy, "You're the last to talk, you defect." "At least I don't have a robot personality and have to pretend to be friends with people." The girl got close to Mikron and looked down at him. "Honestly, you're right. I can't stand your little shit posse and somehow, I end up hanging you with you guys." Jade went back and forth with the boy but when she looked at Seymour, they both laughed. Jiya looked at the two trying to hide her smile. Antonia felt weirded out by how her compliment escalated into an argument and then into a laughing session. "We joke like that all the time. You don't have to look at us that way." Mikron pointed out Antonia as she kept making an odd expression at them. They finished the last details on the poster and then waited for the other groups to finish.
"Okay. We need to make sure that our poster is the best." Karen began writing down the title. "It's not a competition." Samuel was standing on the other side of the table looking out of the window. "Even if it's not. We got to make it look neat." Mal had begun drawing a diagram at the bottom of the anchor chart paper. Angelita looked at Samuel and rolled her eyes. "We are barely deciding on a theme and everyone else has started their poster." He looked uninterested in working with his group. The white-haired boy was never interested in working with others unless there was a benefit. Isaiah looked at the group and felt the tension. "Okay, guys we should start it off by describing the investigation then incorporate how to do the spiral search pattern."
He thought that saying something would fix the issue but both parties ignored him. Angelita opened her phone and began texting. Karen looked at her and exclaimed, "Hey blondie! We need to be doing this poster together." "Umm you mean the poster you and your boyfriend are hogging." Karen looked annoyed and Mal responded to the girl. "No, you gotta put your input into the project." She slammed her hand down and shouted, "We've tried to work with you two and it honestly feels like you're not giving us a chance. You turn down my ideas, you ignore Sam's ideas, you even act like he doesn't exist! And then you have a fit like right now! You did the same thing last week!" Karen stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. "Look. I think you need to calm down. Your ideas would actually work if you didn't talk out of thin air." Angelita looked a bit hurt at that remark. "Why do you talk to me like I'm stupid? I'm just frustrated that you keep rejecting my help." Sam looked at everyone and said, "I don't understand why everyone is making a big deal out of this. Just do the fucking paper." "Umm… maybe don't talk to people that way and you wouldn't be ignored." Karen stopped what she was doing completely to look at Samuel. Isaiah looked at him to say, "Hey pal, we know we need to get this done and you not saying much and Angel being on her phone isn't helping." The punk looked at him scornfully and raised his hand. "Can I be excused?" he said across the room. The teacher gestured towards the door and Samuel was gone for the rest of the ten minutes. Angelita looked over to where her other friends were in the classroom and grew warm.
The other three groups in the class had no issues whatsoever when it came to getting down to business. When it came to actually presenting their work it was a lot less stressful. The first group refused to go up and present and they all were told they would receive a zero for not participating. The blue-haired Dominic ended up getting a round of applause for his group as their poster showed intricate designs of the search patterns. One group laughed most of the time because they had only listed a few bullet points and were the last to present. Williams thought it needed to be shared how Wally spilled his drink which ruined his masterpiece of little bugs that were drawn on the first chart. The whole class got an extension of three minutes so they were able to add some doodles. Nicole's little flies and worms made it very cute, especially with their tiny smiles. The class simultaneously agreed that Jiya's group solely wanted Antonia to present their work just to hear her accent. There were lots of silly sound effects that the class made that eventually made her nervous to speak. When they were done, everyone in the group got laughed at as they were all too short to post their work on the wall. Seymour went into hysterics as Mikron got on his back and slapped their poster on the wall. Their poster hung up crooked and crinkled which made theclasslaugh even more. Antonia and her peers took a bow and the class roared. Suddenly the positive energy diminished when Karen walked up to the front. Angelita saw that Samuel's name was not included on the poster. Neither was hers and she stood by her desk not knowing what to do. Isaiah and Mal got up and immediately started presenting their chart. Karen kept describing what their investigation was over, and people looking at Angelita. Her face was red and she was upset that Samuel didn't return to class. The class had about two minutes of free time and they were granted permission to continue socializing before switching.
"What the hell is your problem?" Angelita had come up to Mal and Karen. "You seriously didn't include me even after I dealt with your shit?" Karen scoffed as she packed her bag for the next class. "Angel come over here please." "Ugh, No! Why am I always getting in trouble for things other people started? It's not fucking fair." Her face was red again and her eyes began to water. "Angelita. I now have to write you up for profanity. Come over here at this instance." Karen looked at Isaiah and they both rolled their eyes. The group felt awkward as they knew there was going to be an issue all year with their classmate in the course. Antonia and Nicole kept quiet as they watched Angelita talk to the teacher. Donna turned around and started talking to the two, but Antonia ignored her. She noticed that Samuel had come back and was livid to see Angelita upset and crying. The other students felt uncomfortable as she went on rambling about how Karen suddenly began to be rude to her for no reason and treated her and her friends like shit. Dominic grabbed her backpack and Samuel walked towards them. Antonia noticed that the teacher was more focused on correcting her language and actions than actually listening to her issues. The bell rang and everyone was quick to leave class. Angelita grabbed the neon yellow piece of paper off the teacher's desk and walked out next to Dominic and Samuel.