MonsterHearts:Lunch Time Woes

Wednesday August 13th, 12:35 PM
Wildomar Elsinore High School
**Biology class, one of the newer rooms in the school, it has large counter tops with sinks and gas burners. The room smells faintly of various chemicals, the most evident of which is formaldehyde. The teacher of the class, Dr. Kh'er, is another man who takes his job far too seriously, but unlike Mr. Hammer, seems intent on failing every one of his students, or at least breaking their spirits to the point that they'll give up. Despite it being the first day, Dr. Kh'er has handed out assignment after assignment, even having a pop quiz to test his students on "How little they actually know about Biology". The class unanimously hates him, even the overachieving kids who normally get straight A's.**

**Dr. Kh'er**: **He's been describing the mountain of homework they're being given for the passed 5 minutes.** From there you will read Chapter 1, page 10 to 12, on Cell Mitosis. You will be required to write a four page essay on this subject that is due on Friday. **There's a collective groan from the class and the sounds of people rustling through papers as a few students right down the assignment. Two students have clearly given up already, sitting in the corner with empty desks, just staring at the teacher with their arms crossed.**

**Chris**: **He raises his hand.**

**Dr. Kh'er**: Yes, student. **The good doctor has made it pretty clear that he doesn't give a shit about learning any of the students names.** What do you need? **Everyone in the class is looking at him like he's doing something wrong and they're all going to get in trouble.**

**Chris**: Umm... **He looks around the class for a moment.** So we're supposed to write a four page essay on two pages of reading?

**Dr. Kh'er**: **He looks at the rest of the class.** Is that too few for you? **Before Chris can say anything the doctor turns and erases part oft he board, rewriting part of the homework.** Very well, I expect a five page essay on the subject, due by Friday.

**The entire class groans and several of them stare at Chris in fury. One of them in particular being a very attractive red-headed girl who is obviously a part of the school's most popular clique.**

**Chris**: **At first he's going to voice an objection about that not being what he wanted, but he quickly just shuts his mouth as he sees the redhead glare at him. He slouches down in his chair silently. So far this school is a nightmare compared to his last one, which was relatively laid back and had nice teachers.**

**Dr. Kh'er**: In addition, I'm going to need these permission slips signed by your parents, legal guardian, or if you're eighteen, yourself. **He motions to a Teacher's Assistant sitting next to his desk, a girl Chris's age with black hair. She pulls a small stack of papers off of the doctor's desk and begins walking down the aisles, handing them out to each of the students.** We will be dissecting pig fetuses this Friday. If you do not have that slip signed by then, you cannot participate. As the dissection of this fetus is intrinsic to the assignments I will be handing out the first half of this semester, if you fail to participate, you will effectively fail my class. **There's another collection of sighs. At this point the students have been collectively emotionally exhausted and just don't care anymore. As he finishes saying the last part, the lunch bell rings, and everyone scrambles to get out fo the room as soon as they grab their slips of paper.**

**Chris**: **As soon as he gets his slip he jumps out of his seat, quick to get the hell out of this nightmarish classroom before the teacher somehow hands out more homework.**

**As Chris quickly walks out the door to the classroom, he trips and falls, stumbling forwards on someone's foot, and out into the hallway, bumping into a few other kids.**

**Chris**: **He quickly collects himself and stands up, looking around at everyone.**

**Lilith**: **The beautiful red head from class steps out from beside the door with a smirk. She's wearing a short skirt with a fairly low-cut blouse and jacket, all of it is black and off-blue. She speaks with a bit of an Australian accent.** You must be new around here mate, because *everyone* knows *not* to ask questions in the Science Nazi's class. You fucked up my afternoon, you stupid shit. Now I have to bullshit my way through *five pages* instead of *four*! Who is going to write up that extra page? *You*?

**The circumstance, everyone looking at Chris, and this beautiful girl embarrassing him in front of everyone is too much. Requiring him to** ***Hold Steady*** **or** ***Run away***.

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **6 + 1 + 2** **Cold** **is 9**. **Marking Experience)**

**Chris**: **He manages to keep his cool despite the embarrassing situation.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling for** ***Patience is a Virtue*** **1 + 5 + 2** **Cold** **is 8**. **Lilith gains the condition** ***Snake Food***.

**Chris**: **After a moment he just shakes his head, done with today already, he pushes passed another student, leaving Lilith for another day.**

**As Chris walks out of the science building on the western part of the campus, and onto the Quad he sees that there's various food carts that have been set up around the quad, about seven of them total. There's already students running to get in line for each of them.**

**Chris**: **He quickly jogs over to one of the carts with the shorter lines and gets in line behind the other students. She signs impatiently, aggravated and hungry while waiting for his turn.**

**Liam**: **He spots Chris from across the campus and runs up next to him.** Hey!

**Chris**: **He looks at Liam for a moment** Hey. **It obvious that he's not in a good mood.**

**Liam**: Your first day must suck so far, huh?

**Chris**: The Biology teacher is a tyrant.

**Liam**: They don't call him the science Nazi for nothing. **He looks around the campus.**

**Chris**: Are any of the teachers here normal?

**Liam**: Hmm... **He pauses to think for a moment.** You'd have to define what "Normal" is to you.

**Chris**: **He grumbles quietly to himself in response.**

**Odie**: **He runs up, cutting in line with Chris and Liam** Saved me a spot?

**Chris**: **He glances at Odie and some of his tension is relieved.** I guess. **He looks around to make sure someone doesn't get mad at them.**

**Odie**: I saw you leaving Science Nazi's class. How'd that go?

**Chris**: **He groans loudly.** The guy's a total tight-ass... I thought Mr. Hammer was bad...

**Odie**: Yeah, no one likes him. **As they reach the front of the line Chris can see the food selection. It's a box of cheese bread, a slice of Pizza, and canned sodas like Sprite and Dr. Pepper.**

**Chris**: I'll take a slice of Pizza and... **He looks around the cart.** Do you have any water?

**Lunch Lady**: **She chuckles and smiles, revealing two rows of crooked and missing teeth. She speaks in a deep raspy voice, like someone who has been chain smoking for decades.** This is an american public school kid, we don't sell water here.

**Chris**: **He looks at her strangely for a moment.** ...I'll just take a Sprite then...

**The Lunch lady hands him his slice of Pizza and soda, she takes his money, the total being exactly three dollars.**

**Odie**: I'll get some cheese bread and that last Dr. Pepper. **Odie pulls out his wallet and gives the haggard woman his money and turns, looking towards a spot at one of the corners of the quad. There's a table with benches that's sitting between two dead looking eucalyptus trees. He looks at Chris.** You can come sit with us if you want. **He shrugs, but doesn't really wait for a response from Chris, leaving and quickly walking towards the table he looked at in the corner of the quad.**

**Chris**: **He looks about the quad, spotting the various groups of kids sitting together, hesitating. He's glad Odie invited him to sit with him, but unsure of if he actually wants to sit with anyone in his current mood.**

**Liam**: **After he's gotten his food he walks up next to Chris.** You wanna go sit with him? Odie's kinda popular, we probably should.

**Chris**: **He looks at Liam with slight annoyance, his bad mood making everyone seeming more annoying than they are.** ...Yeah. **He walks towards the table between the two dead trees.**

**Liam**: **He trails behind Chris with his head down.**

**A female voice sounds out across the quad over the cacophony of students talking**

**Lilith**: Oy! You two shitheads! **She jumps off the table she was sitting on and walks over to Chris and Liam. Several of the students in her group walk with her. One of them is Blake.** Figures you'd be hang'n out with a total dipshit like Liam 'ere. **She smirks, pulling away red hair from her eyes and brushing it behind her left ear.**

**Blake**: **He walks up in front of her, shoving the rest of a breadstick in his mouth and chewing it for a moment before speaking.** That twerp's the guy who got that Nazi to hand out more work huh? Though you'd learn your place by now kid. **Both of you roll to** ***Hold Steady*** or ***Run Away***.

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **5 + 3 + 2** **Cold** **is 10**. **Choosing to carry 1 forward this scene.**

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **5 + 5 - 1** **Cold** **is 9. Liam's gonna keep his cool)**.

**Chris**: **Already pissed at Blake from the slight altercation this morning, and due to the rather awful day he's been having so far in general, he decides to call Blake and Lilith out.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Shut Blake Down***. **3 + 6 + 2 + 1** **Cold** **12)**

**Chris**: Why don't we settle this shit after school then? Would that shut you up? **He looks Blake right in the eyes as he takes another step forwards.**

**Blake**: **There's hushed whispering in the group behind Lilith and Blake, Blake hears it and sneers.** After school. Jack in the Box parking lot. Show up or I'll beat your ass even worse tomorrow morning. **Blake smirks, looking Chris up and down and turning around. Another one of the guys on the football team pats him on the back as he sits back down.**

**Lilith**: **She has a satisfied smirk on her face, like she knows Blake is going to stomp this new kid into a puddle of paste. She turns and goes back to sitting on the edge of the table, keeping her eyes on the two of them.**

**Chris**: **He shakes his head in anger and walks off towards Odie's table. He's so angry that he's not even afraid of fighting a guy who will probably knock him out in a single punch. It won't be the first time he's gotten in a fight with someone bigger and stronger than him. He sits down across from Odie and pops open the small pizza box.**

**Liam**: **He watches Lilith as he turns and almost meekly follows behind Chris. After a moment he remembers that he's got a demon in his corner, and that fight might be the perfect time to unleash some havoc. The perfect time for some just rewards for bullies that have tormented him daily. As he reaches the tables he sits next to Chris, not too close, but just close enough.**

**Odie**: Pissin off Blake on the first day? Damn, you brave son. **He nods in approval as he takes another bite of his cheese bread.**

**Dustin**: Or really stupid. **He's sitting next to Odie, eating a bag of chips. He's got clear light-blue eyes and light brown hair, he's wearing a typical skater outfit, a beanie, a grey-blue hoodie, and a pair of tan pants.** And what the hell is Liam doing here?

**Odie**: Hey, we don't got anything against Liam.

**Dustin**: I don't want to be a loser by proxy. **He goes back to eating his chips, staring at Liam**

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Shut Dustin Down*** **6 + 3 - 1** **Cold** **is 8. Liam's going to give Dustin the condition "Flustered".)**.

**Liam**: Shut the fuck up Dustin, you don't exactly have a ton of friends either, you hang around Odie because he's the only guy who'd even put up with you. **He pops open his can of soda.**

**Dustin**: At least I have *some* friends, and I'm not some nobody that's trailing around the new kid like a lost dog! **Giving Liam the condition "Embarrassed".**

**Odie**: Alright guys, cut it out. Liam's alright, sorta. My rep survived the twins for three years, it can survive Liam. **He takes a drink from his soda.** So lighten up Dustin. **He looks at Chris.** Speak'n of light'n up, you light up Kentucky?

**Chris**: **He looks to the side.** No. **He changes his answer fearing that Odie might think he's a loser.** At least not since I moved here.

**Odie**: **He smirks.** Just thought I'd give you somethin to get your mind off the day. It's cool if you don't smoke.

**Liam**: **He rolls his eyes.** So are you actually gonna show up to that fight after school?

**Chris**: Yeah. Might as well get my ass kicked right off the bat, or if I get lucky enough, maybe I'll actually beat his ass. **He goes back to eating.**

**Dustin**: The guy's got about 30lbs. of muscle on you. You're toast.

**Odie**: Eh, I've seen smaller guys take down bigger. **He looks at Chris.** I believe in you Kentucky. Won't be there to cheer you on though, got detention with the Hammer man...

**The school bell rings, signifying the end of lunch. Odie gets up and drinks the last of his soda. He nods to the three other boys and leaves for next next class. Dustin looks at Liam and Chris for a moment before grabbing his pack and walking off without picking up his trash.**

**Chris**: **He gets up, not having even finished his lunch, he carries it with him and keeps eating as he heads for his next class.**

**Liam**: **He follows behind Chris closely.** So what's your next class? **He already knows due to seeing the class schedule in his mind this morning, but he's asking anyway.**

**Chris**: Swim team. **He finishes his pizza, throwing it into a trashcan. Then adjusts his backpack and heads for the gym.**