"Give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." – Brian Tracy.
Cody was currently sitting on what appears to be a backdrop of a stage, with red curtains, some spotlights, a stool and a microphone placed in front of him. He had a book in his hand and was wearing a pilgrim outfit. He looks up and notices the camera on him and smiles.
"Oh, hi, everybody. How are you all doing? Happy Thanksgiving to you all." Cody waves, greeting the audience. Julia enters the scene, she was wearing a pilgrim outfit too.
"Hey, buster, why do you get to open the show up?" Julia questions.
"Because it's my show." Cody retorts. "No, wait a minute. You're an idiot. It's just a story."
"Ha, you're the idiot here if you think I'm gonna be used in another one of your stupid adventures, peewee." Julia spoke.
"Please, I don't make this crap up, be grateful the narrator even includes you. You're that entertaining." Cody rebuttals.
"Really?" Julia inquired.
"Really." Cody nods.
"The next up-and-coming fan favorite on the blogs, wikis, fan pages, fandoms and so on." Sierra stated off-screen. Next to her were Beth, Noah, Owen, Izzy, Ezekiel, Scary Girl, Kitty, Emma, Sammy, Amy, B, Dawn, Mike, Cameron, Zoey, Sam, Dakota, Brick, Ella, Beardo, a raptor and others.
"Well then in that case, I guess I could tolerate it a bit, but sooner or later, I want complete constructive control. Over the whole. damn. thing." Julia smirked as she said dramatically.
"Wha-?!" Cody was about yell out. Sooner or later, other people filed on the stage and began protesting.
"Yo, where did all these people come from?" Julia inquired.
"Wait, you want to be in this escapade?" MK asked.
"You just don't get me, Mary-Kate." Julia said. "I was made, no literally, built to be the main character."
"I guess that explains the tenacity and ambition." MK shrugged.
"So, like, if that's the case, then explain why you're failing math." Cody inquired obsequiously. "You're a smart girl." Julia turned to Cody and got in his face, their noses touching.
"Because, this is more important! I know that's fucked up but leave my attention span out of it!" Julia spat out venomously. She then took a more theatrical tone of voice as she said while wrapping an arm around Cody. "I'm an ambitious girl at heart, damn it! I'm tenacious where it counts! I'm the quintessence of the cast. Unlike you butt-knuckle rejects that get demoted and relegated to extras and sides."
"What?" Cody spat out facetiously.
"I'm the spotlight and the main focus when it matters, whether I'm the protagonist or the antagonist. My fans still love me, baby." Julia reiterated. "Cope, little bro, you don't want the smoke."
"Julia, quit breaking the fourth wall." Dawn called out.
"That's bullshit." Ripper argued. "It should be me!"
"Or me?" Priya inquired.
"Me!" Dakota yelled.
"Me?" Owen joined in.
"No, me! I literally audition for this kind of thing all the time!" Izzy hollered boisterously. "I can do improv. I pity the fool." She said in a deep Mr. T-esque voice. The "audience" laughs at this.
"Or me." Chase butted in, as he attempted to zipline down and make a grand entrance. He was on top of the set and grabbed a rope, swung by and did a mid air flip onto the stage, landing successfully. Unknowingly causing some loose ones to fall and some stage lights to loosen as well.
"Show-off." Julia coughed.
"Chase, what are you or what were you doing up there?" Cody inquired.
"Gotta make a grand entrance, dudes!" Chase said.
"No, me." A voice said. The lights dimmed and everyone looked around curiously. Suddenly, a figure in the form of Nichelle Ladonna herself, cartwheeled in and did a midair flip and landed on stage with a split. This also unknowingly caused pyro and fireworks to go off as well, shocking some people and impressing others. The audience "oohs" and "aahs" at this.
"Show off." Julia coughed out again.
"Yeah, hi! It's me, Nichelle Ladonna." Nichelle greeted. "The real star of the show."
"Or us!" Tom and Jen say as they both made their way on stage, wearing Native Indian attire. They began posing as camera flashes gone off, mist, lights, adorned. This immediately got the audience cheering and clapping for them.
"Tom? Jen?" Cody inquired.
"That's our names!" Tom smirked.
"Fashion blogging's our game!" Jen smirked as she posed. "You like?" Cody nodded, he inadvertently looked down and just out of the corner of his eye, noticed Nichelle's rear was partially ignited.
"Uh, Nichelle?" Cody spoke up.
"Not now, Cody. I'm basking in adulation." Nichelle put her finger to his lips.
"No, Nichelle." Cody tried to warn her again.
"Bow down to my queenly queenliness!" Nichelle exclaimed.
"Your butt's on fire!" Cody alerted.
"What? Shiiiit." Nichelle looked down in confusion and saw that her rear did catch fire. She ran around the stage, shrieking. "Oh shit, aaaahhhh! My ass, my ass! Ah! Ow! Ow! Ooh, Aw, ow, ow, ow!" Damien sprayed her with a fire extinguisher.
"Got it." Damien proudly stately. Nichelle sighed happily.
"Thanks, brotha." Nichelle smiled.
"Don't mention it, sista." Damien grinned. Cody shook his head, but then the lights dimmed once again and a spotlight appeared.
"Prepare for trouble..." A voice said.
"...and make it double!" Another voice said.
"Josee!"
"Jacques!"
"That's the name. And with this lucky rabbit's foot..." Josee said.
"We'll conquer this game!" Jacques finished. Donned in pilgrim attire, both got into position as if they were the Z-force and posed dramatically.
"Damn it, we meant show!" They both said. Some of the others were either impressed, not impressed, got the reference or just didn't get the reference.
"Good effort." Noah shrugged.
"I didn't know you guys watched Pokemon." Kitty grinned.
"Eh, what can we say. It's ze good show, no?" Jacques smirks.
"Okay, that's enough, Team Rocket, blast off would ya?" Cody chuckled. "Heh heh, trying to open the show, er, story here."
"As you wish." Josee nods. They both turned around dramatically.
"We're blasting off agaaaaaaaain!" They yelled out exaggeratedly while sporadically leaving the scene. This does however get the audience to laugh. Beardo makes a flatulent sound, causing more of an uproarous applause.
"Oh, well, well, well, well. Would you look at thet?!" Julia squealed.
"What?" Millie inquired.
"The narrator said I could be the main character if I just go over here. Maybe get my own series." Julia spoke, as she moved over to where one of those trap ropes were, unbeknownst to her.
"No fair! I deserve a spin-off." Dakota argued.
"It's just a scam, Jules." MK rolled her eyes.
"Please, what could possibly-?" Julia was about to say, but as she walking, her foot got caught in a rope and she screamed as she was shot up, hanging upside down. "Don't just stand there, butt-knuckles! Help! Help, Cody!"
"Aw shit, d-don't worry, Julia, I'll get you down from there. Hang tight." Cody declared.
"Hangin'." Julia said in a southern accent, with a relatively bored look on her face.
Everybody breaks out into an argument while Cody scowls at the camera and shakes his head. Suddenly, green paint spills on him. He looks up and spots Lindsay.
"Sorry, Colby, I mean, Cody." Lindsay said grinning sheepishly.
"It's okay, Lindsay." Cody reassured, trying to keep his cool and remain calm. He looked over at where Scary Girl and the others were and noted the ukuleles that were being held.
"F is friends who do stuff together." Scary Girl sang, playing her ukulele.
"U is for you and me." Izzy sang after.
"N is for anywhere and anytime at all." Owen followed up.
"Down here in the deep blue sea!" Ella and the others sang together. They all laughed and Cody went over to them.
"Hey, keep these guys busy." Cody whispered in Scary Girl's ear. "If they get too rowdy, no pay."
"Okay!" Scary Girl smirked.
"Thank you." Cody smiled. He noted the dysfunction going on again and shook his head.
"On to the story, please." Cody says in a deadpan tone of voice, before exiting stage right.
It is November and that meant it's Thanksgiving season! It was the holidays and practically everyone was happy to get out of school. Today was a half-day. Crazy, but it was a half-day all around, all week. The class were currently watching a movie, however, most payed very little mind to it and were occupied doing other things.
MK, Cody, Sam and Kitty were playing on their respective portable gaming devices, Julia and Amy were watching a movie on Julia's phone, Priya, Millie, Damien, Harold, Scarlett, Courtney and Cameron were studying, Scary Girl, Mike, Ezekiel and Sierra were drawing or writing, Noah and Emma were reading, Jen, Tom, Brick, Lindsay, Beth and Tyler were quietly talking amongst themselves, while Sammy, Dawn, Owen, Izzy, Zoey, B, Max and Dakota dozed off. Very few like Bridgette, Gwen, Trent, Geoff, Brody, Ella, DJ and Staci payed little or any mind to it, but appreciated the gesture. Others like Eva, Heather, Anne Maria, Duncan, Jo and Lightning were just whatever about it. Rodney, Sugar and Scott were heavily, if not disgustingly, invested.
"That is so fetch!" Jen exclaimed.
"I know, right?" Brick smirked proudly.
"Oh yeah, take that!" MK boasted. Cody and MK were playing co-op against Kitty and Sam.
"Damn, you two are good." Kitty exclaimed.
"Damn good, too." Sam agreed.
"Damn right you are! We are good, the best." MK smirked.
"Oh, it's true. It's damn true." Cody chuckled. He knew MK was cheating, but didn't say anything.
"This is soooooo boring." Amy groaned.
"Word." Julia nodded. "Just try to look invested. You keep people's focus and attention by looking interested."
"Man, I'm so stoked for this year, guys." Priya grinned.
"Dang, a little quieter would do, please?" Harold said. "Sorry, Priya. Didn't mean to cut you off, just trying to get this assignment out of the way."
"I already finished." Scarlett smirked.
"Me too." Millie said.
"Same here." Courtney added.
"GOSH!" Harold shouted.
"You okay?" Cameron asked.
"Sorry, holidays really get me cranky sometimes." Harold admitted.
"We gotta go to a family gathering." Scarlett said. "You know how it is."
"Oh." Priya said softly.
"What were you saying, Priya?" Damien politely inquired.
"Oh, just that it's gonna be fun.. ish?" Priya lamented.
"Thanksgiving?" Millie inquired.
"Oh, yeah. Apple picking, apple bobbing, pie baking, pie eating, apple cider, pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving..." Priya spat out, rather bitterly. "..corn mazes, apple orchards, seasonal candles, cozy sweaters, fall recipes, relaxing by the fire, square dancing, gumbo, sugar, spice and everything nice." She said the last stuff rather despondently.
"You poor thing..." Millie said, though inside, she was fuming.
"Look, I drew a scarecrow!" Scary Girl exclaimed.
"Nice." Mike smiled.
"Ha, you already look like a scarecrow, Spook Troop." Duncan teased, Scary Girl retorted and blew a raspberry in response. DJ slapped his head in addition to that.
"You're kinda more scarier than a scarecrow, eh." Ezekiel lightly commented.
"I'll take it as a compliment." Scary Girl smirked proudly.
"I'm just writing for my blog." Sierra chimed.
"Cool." Mike chuckled.
"Did you know Thanksgiving started before Plymouth Rock?" Emma and Noah asked at the same time, before laughing. Owen and the others woke up.
"Did you guys know the days of Thanksgiving meant not eating?!" Owen exclaimed.
"Uh, yeah?" MK said.
"That's absolutely fucking crazy! A person can only go without food for so long!" Owen bellowed.
"You can still eat whatever and whenever, Owen." Dawn reassured. "Just not the food being prepared."
"Oh, I know." Owen grinned a bit. "But sometimes I can't wait. That turkey is calling my name." The majority of them laughed.
"Never change, Owen, never change." Noah said with a grin.
"On top of that. Football!" Tyler roared.
"Sha-football!" Lightning joined.
"Football!" Geoff and Brody shouted as well.
"Football? What's football?" Lindsay inquired. "Is it a smelly ball made of feet?"
"Ew!" Dakota grimaced. Anne Maria, Jen, Heather, Millie, Priya, Courtney and nearly everyone gagged at the description.
"Yeah, don't take the name so seriously." MK said. "I'll give you that one, though. That description is about as accurate as calling peanut butter and jelly actual peas, nuts, butter and jello." This made Lindsay blush.
"Football is a sport, Linds." Beth answered.
"You're literally on the cheerleading team, Linds. How do you not know or remember what football is?" Julia inquires incredulously.
"Like, it's literally in the name." Gwen said.
"Yeah, always sweaty..." Bridgette adds.
"I swear, I'm just curious." Lindsay defended. "It's just, why is it called football when you use your hands?"
"The term "football" has historical origins dating back to the late Middle Ages, when it was used to refer to any sport played on foot, as opposed to sports played on horseback. In the case of American football, the term came from two European sports, soccer and rugby, both of which were kicking games." Scarlett said.
"But, I could've sworn it was called soccer." Lindsay said in confusion. "Why not call soccer "football" instead?"
"The formal name of soccer is "association football". The term "soccer" was coined by British university students in the late 19th century as a nickname for "association football". The term "football" was used to differentiate between Rugby Football and Association Football. In the US, the name soccer stuck for association football and football for the gridiron sport. One theory is that the word "football" actually comes from two medieval English words, "foot" and "ball"." Scarlett explained.
"So, why not call it "feetball"?" Lindsay inquired. "You use your feet when you play soccer, but mainly use your hands when you play football."
"Mm-hm." Cody shrugged.
"But, that's, like, so, maddeningly exasperating and so totally confusing!" Lindsay pouted with her arms crossed.
"We don't make 'em, Linds, we just call 'em." Scarlett shrugs. Lindsay let out a low growl.
"You have a point though, Lindsay." Tyler said.
"I do?" Lindsay asked.
"You were just being genuinely inquisitive." Cody said supportively. "We know that."
"Really?" Lindsay smiled.
"Yeah, as fascinating and sorta ancient as it is..." Gwen began.
"And it's common knowledge..." Heather butted in.
"It still perplexes us and even the greatest minds alike to no end." Bridgette concludes, while glaring at Heather.
"It's still an interesting concept." Harold stated.
"Awwww, thanks, guys." Lindsay gushed. "In fact, I happily acquiesce."
"Good girl." Noah smirked, impressed by the word she used.
"Man, I can't wait for Thanksgiving!" Rodney grinned.
"Tell me about it, I'm so jazzed up." Sugar exclaims.
"Yup, nothing like some good ol' fashioned dirt pies." Scott smiled.
"Huh, I never expected you would be this excited for Thanksgiving, farm boy." Anne Maria comments.
"It puts me in a good mood, plus I grew up on a dirt farm." Scott smirked. "Nothing but hard work and your own stink. Also, pumpkins, food and dessert."
"Certainly the joys of taking in part of the festivities and singing along and dancing." Ella spoke.
"I don't know what you're labberin' about, but I know one thing." Sugar spoke. "Pickin' apples and pumpkins, navigatin' corn mazes, enjoyin' hayrides, Fall garden crops, goat breeding and juggy chunks!"
"You city folk wouldn't understand." Rodney chuckled.
"Fair enough." Leshawna shrugged.
"Please, please, please, don't get started on juggy chunks." Dave begged.
"We're begging you." Sky piped.
"Fine." Sugar huffed. "Could've sworn it was the same concept anyways." Thus, the movie/documentary whatever you wanna call it was concluded as the bell rang.
"Saved by the bell!" Max shouted.
"Wah wah wah wah wah, wha, wha, wha, womp, womp, womp, womp."
"Same to you, sir, ma'am." The class said in unison.
The Auditorium
"Now for a little rendition of what I like to call, for my homeboys, homegirls and fellow nig.." Sugar trailed off once Nichelle, Damien, Beardo, Cameron, B, Millie, Jasmine, Bowie, Caleb and Priya gave her a stern glare.
"Don't you dare, sweaty pig!" Nichelle warned.
"Even I know you can't say that, eh." Ezekiel spoke up.
"I, er, meant fellow brothers and sisters, and for my fellow country brethren and sistren folk." Sugar continued. "A mashup of country and rap, "Crap-try"!"
"Oh no." Cody facepalmed in annoyance.
"Nothing wrong with a little commercialism." Jen piped.
"Or improv." Tom adds. Harold, Ezekiel and Beardo provide some background beat boxing.
"You always need to be on your A game. Every day. Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' a li' gay. Everybody's a lil' gay. A dollar makes me holla, Honey Boo Boo. The last time I had a salad was never. If you fart 12 to 15 times a day, you can lose a lot of weight." Sugar then bent over and lot out a loud fart. Some of them were repulsed, even Owen to a degree.
"Sugar silo, do-si-do, Sugar Holla!" She rapped obnoxiously.
"Unless you're Sugar, of course..." Tom concluded.
"Unless you're Sugar." Jen nodded.
"You gotta earn ghetto cred, man." Harold said.
"Okay, enough!" MK interrupted. "Thank you, Honey Boo Boo!"
"Aw, shucks, thank you, thank you!" Sugar bowed but a flatulent sound was heard. "I swear that was not me! A pageant queen never farts unless it is her talent!" They looked at Beardo who made the sound and laughed.