Post by laurcat on Dec 26, 2012 0:33:31 GMT -5
When the bell sounded, everyone got up and left the classroom as Ms. Needleman yelled excited good-byes. We were forced to delay our exit, as the group of preppy girls pushed their way out first. I rolled my eyes, and Kita, who had seen me, gave a worried smile. Cherrie motioned for Jena to go ahead of us, but she shook her head, so we walked on out.
“Hey, we never talked to her.” Cherrie pointed at a number twenty-nine leaving the classroom.
I searched my memory and remembered her name on the seating chart. “That’s Gail Gonzales.”
“She’s shy.” Jena’s voice came from behind, startling us all. “She’s rather smart for it, too.”
Cherrie glanced from Gail to Jena. “How is that smart?”
Jena sighed. “Last year the Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors started talking to her. They were friends, but Lydia began to make fun of her and spread rumors.” Jena eyed Gail with sadness in her eyes. “Since then she’s stopped talking to people she doesn’t know. She only talks to Misty and Cori. They were her friends before that happened, and she doesn’t trust anyone else anymore.”
“That’s so sad!” Cherrie was horrified. I nodded in agreement.
“’Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors’?" Kita asked. “Nice name.”
Jena grinned. “Oh, yeah. Their clique has a name. They call it ‘BEST’, and it’s rumored to be an acronym for something. I think I’ve cracked the code. It stands for-“
“’Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors’,” Kita laughed. “I get it.”
“I’m going to Mrs. Hershell’s for biology, are you guys?” I scanned my schedule inside my mind.
“Yeah, we all are. You see, we have the same classmates in every class. Ms. Needleman was not only our English teacher, but also our homeroom teacher.”
Cherrie pointed to a classroom a couple doors down as Macy entered it. “We’re in there.”
As the four of us walked in, we all glanced around the room. I’m pretty sure the others were looking for seats, but I was keeping an eye out for BEST. They were not in the room. I looked for them in the hallway until Kita pulled me along by my arm. Jena had found four empty seats clustered together. After sitting down, I realized that there were three empty seats in front of us.
Seconds before the bell rang, the BEST of the worst came strutting in, all wearing the same outfit. To my surprise, the class started oohing and aahing. Then I realized that they were wearing a new release- The Cozy Sweater Outfit. To my stomach-wrenching dismay, the clique took the three empty seats and turned around.
“Hey, Jena,” Kara’s voice was dangerously sweet. “Can we come over to your house after school?”
“Sure, that’d be cool.” Jena acted friendly enough, but I could see the unmistakable shine of suspicion in her eyes.
Lydia looked as if she were about to giggle, and Karol smiled.
“So,” Kara grinned, “Do you think Jansen will be there?”
Lydia released her giggle, and Karol responded with her own. They seemed to be executing some ritual involving preppy mating calls. I nearly laughed when I thought of this, but I knew it would have come off the wrong way.
“Uh, depends on when you come. He has baseball practice, so he’ll be home around four forty-five.”
“Oh, we’ll come around then.” Kara’s friends nodded, even though she hadn’t bothered to consult them. She must have been their personal planner or something. “Besides, I think I want to change before I see- before I come over.”
“Again?” Cherrie whispered from behind Jena, just below Kara’s radar.
Kara wouldn’t have been listening anyway; she had turned to ask her friends if she could use some of their lipstick for that afternoon.
Mrs. Hershell ran in, apologized for being late due to a conversation with the principal, and flashed the class a beautiful smile. She spent the first half period going over basic classroom rules, along with lab safety rules, and welcomed Kita, Cherrie, and I to our new school. Having covered everything on her agenda, Mrs. Hershell gave the class the rest of the class period to talk.
Jena and I turned around, prompting Kita to ask, “She’s coming to your house later?”
“Yeah, might as well go ahead and let her. Better than having her hate me.”
I gave a little laugh. “Uh, but you don’t have to invite her into your house!”
Jena glanced back to make sure the clique wasn’t listening. “No, there’s more to it than that. She’s only acting like she’s friends with me because she’s after a prize.”
“Prize?” Kita and Cherrie asked in unison.
“My brother, Jansen.”
It all snapped into place inside my brain. “It figures. But how do you have a brother?”
Kita leaned in closer. “And where does he go to school? This is an all-girls school, and for My American Girls. He’s not even an A.G. product.”
Jena shifted her position in the seat to get comfortable, as if she were about to tell a big story. “Janson is my twin brother. He was made the same time I was first produced, so we’re family. He has the same blue eyes and light skin I’ve got, but he also has short, black hair and no freckles. He’s a custom doll, and all custom dolls-boys and girls-attend Customs High School, or CHS.
"It’s a nice school because you get to meet dolls with all sorts of combinations of traits. You might find a doll like Kita with hazel eyes, and or a doll like Allegra with blue eyes. Everyone looks less generic.” Jena glanced around the classroom, almost disapproving of the beautiful faces around her. “Not that we’re all not unique,” she seemed to have read my thoughts, “it’s just that the dolls over there look more exotic in general.”
Cherrie nodded. “I can see where that would be true.”
“So,” I raised a finger, “you’d think Kara would hate you if you didn’t let her come over to see your brother?”
“Yeah, see, I’m not the only girl she’s done this to. I know how her plan goes.”
“Macy.” Kita interjected.
“Yes, she fell victim. And so did Gail.”
“But Macy still acts like she’s friends with them, while Gail has nothing to do with them. How are they different?” Cherrie asked.
“I can tell you girls that stuff if you come over to my house later. After BEST leaves, of course. I’d rather explain in the safety of my own home than in a crowded school, and it would feel nice to have real friends over.”
“Yeah, that’d be a good idea,” I agreed, “You should call us when they’re gone.”
It was settled that we would meet up at Jena’s house later, and we all exchanged phone numbers. When the bell rang, we all headed to history class.
“Hey, we never talked to her.” Cherrie pointed at a number twenty-nine leaving the classroom.
I searched my memory and remembered her name on the seating chart. “That’s Gail Gonzales.”
“She’s shy.” Jena’s voice came from behind, startling us all. “She’s rather smart for it, too.”
Cherrie glanced from Gail to Jena. “How is that smart?”
Jena sighed. “Last year the Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors started talking to her. They were friends, but Lydia began to make fun of her and spread rumors.” Jena eyed Gail with sadness in her eyes. “Since then she’s stopped talking to people she doesn’t know. She only talks to Misty and Cori. They were her friends before that happened, and she doesn’t trust anyone else anymore.”
“That’s so sad!” Cherrie was horrified. I nodded in agreement.
“’Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors’?" Kita asked. “Nice name.”
Jena grinned. “Oh, yeah. Their clique has a name. They call it ‘BEST’, and it’s rumored to be an acronym for something. I think I’ve cracked the code. It stands for-“
“’Blue-Eyed Squad of Terrors’,” Kita laughed. “I get it.”
“I’m going to Mrs. Hershell’s for biology, are you guys?” I scanned my schedule inside my mind.
“Yeah, we all are. You see, we have the same classmates in every class. Ms. Needleman was not only our English teacher, but also our homeroom teacher.”
Cherrie pointed to a classroom a couple doors down as Macy entered it. “We’re in there.”
As the four of us walked in, we all glanced around the room. I’m pretty sure the others were looking for seats, but I was keeping an eye out for BEST. They were not in the room. I looked for them in the hallway until Kita pulled me along by my arm. Jena had found four empty seats clustered together. After sitting down, I realized that there were three empty seats in front of us.
Seconds before the bell rang, the BEST of the worst came strutting in, all wearing the same outfit. To my surprise, the class started oohing and aahing. Then I realized that they were wearing a new release- The Cozy Sweater Outfit. To my stomach-wrenching dismay, the clique took the three empty seats and turned around.
“Hey, Jena,” Kara’s voice was dangerously sweet. “Can we come over to your house after school?”
“Sure, that’d be cool.” Jena acted friendly enough, but I could see the unmistakable shine of suspicion in her eyes.
Lydia looked as if she were about to giggle, and Karol smiled.
“So,” Kara grinned, “Do you think Jansen will be there?”
Lydia released her giggle, and Karol responded with her own. They seemed to be executing some ritual involving preppy mating calls. I nearly laughed when I thought of this, but I knew it would have come off the wrong way.
“Uh, depends on when you come. He has baseball practice, so he’ll be home around four forty-five.”
“Oh, we’ll come around then.” Kara’s friends nodded, even though she hadn’t bothered to consult them. She must have been their personal planner or something. “Besides, I think I want to change before I see- before I come over.”
“Again?” Cherrie whispered from behind Jena, just below Kara’s radar.
Kara wouldn’t have been listening anyway; she had turned to ask her friends if she could use some of their lipstick for that afternoon.
Mrs. Hershell ran in, apologized for being late due to a conversation with the principal, and flashed the class a beautiful smile. She spent the first half period going over basic classroom rules, along with lab safety rules, and welcomed Kita, Cherrie, and I to our new school. Having covered everything on her agenda, Mrs. Hershell gave the class the rest of the class period to talk.
Jena and I turned around, prompting Kita to ask, “She’s coming to your house later?”
“Yeah, might as well go ahead and let her. Better than having her hate me.”
I gave a little laugh. “Uh, but you don’t have to invite her into your house!”
Jena glanced back to make sure the clique wasn’t listening. “No, there’s more to it than that. She’s only acting like she’s friends with me because she’s after a prize.”
“Prize?” Kita and Cherrie asked in unison.
“My brother, Jansen.”
It all snapped into place inside my brain. “It figures. But how do you have a brother?”
Kita leaned in closer. “And where does he go to school? This is an all-girls school, and for My American Girls. He’s not even an A.G. product.”
Jena shifted her position in the seat to get comfortable, as if she were about to tell a big story. “Janson is my twin brother. He was made the same time I was first produced, so we’re family. He has the same blue eyes and light skin I’ve got, but he also has short, black hair and no freckles. He’s a custom doll, and all custom dolls-boys and girls-attend Customs High School, or CHS.
"It’s a nice school because you get to meet dolls with all sorts of combinations of traits. You might find a doll like Kita with hazel eyes, and or a doll like Allegra with blue eyes. Everyone looks less generic.” Jena glanced around the classroom, almost disapproving of the beautiful faces around her. “Not that we’re all not unique,” she seemed to have read my thoughts, “it’s just that the dolls over there look more exotic in general.”
Cherrie nodded. “I can see where that would be true.”
“So,” I raised a finger, “you’d think Kara would hate you if you didn’t let her come over to see your brother?”
“Yeah, see, I’m not the only girl she’s done this to. I know how her plan goes.”
“Macy.” Kita interjected.
“Yes, she fell victim. And so did Gail.”
“But Macy still acts like she’s friends with them, while Gail has nothing to do with them. How are they different?” Cherrie asked.
“I can tell you girls that stuff if you come over to my house later. After BEST leaves, of course. I’d rather explain in the safety of my own home than in a crowded school, and it would feel nice to have real friends over.”
“Yeah, that’d be a good idea,” I agreed, “You should call us when they’re gone.”
It was settled that we would meet up at Jena’s house later, and we all exchanged phone numbers. When the bell rang, we all headed to history class.
