Flashback: Day One
Who: Josie Hall, Jenna “Jen” Torres, Emily Smulders
Where: WMHS cafeteria
When: Monday, 15 September 2016
What: How it begins...
“...Oh, and Rachel Berry, you know her? She’s famous on Broadway. Anyway, she left Ohio, which was a good choice in my opinion, and then she became famous! It’s inspiring! And she attended this very school! Can you believe it? We’re walking in the very same hallways a Broadway star once walked! Someday someone will say the exact same things, but about me, of course, I intend to...” Josie rambled on excitedly to her companion, whom she though was doing a very good job of listening, as they entered the cafeteria of William McKinley High School.
Jen looked around the room nodding absently as...Josie rambled on about Broadway and Rachel Berry and a thousand and eighty-six other things. They’d been assigned seats next to each other in their fourth period class, Josie sat next to her in their fifth and now they were on their way to lunch. All Jen had said was ‘hi’ and the next thing she knew Josie’s life story. They were now moving onto future aspirations apparently. Jen hadn’t gotten a word in. She nodded absently as they entered the cafeteria, looking around for somewhere to sit, and managed to interject. “Are your buying lunch?”
“Nope, I brought my lunch. My mom made salad, because I don’t trust the quality of school cafeteria food. Will you be buying your lunch?” Josie asked, scanning the cafeteria for an empty table.
Jen nodded, “Yeah, I’m buying. So...I have to get in line.” So, we’re going to separate and you’re going to go away.
“Okay, let’s go join the queue then!” Josie chattered excitedly, oblivious to Jen’s discomfort as she followed her to the cafeteria line.
“I don’t want -” Jen tried to interject as Josie placed the things on her tray that she’d deemed the healthiest choices the cafeteria offered. I am not going to make it through lunch with this girl.
Josie made a tut-tut sound at Jen’s rejection, before saying, “A healthy body leads to a healthy heart, mind and soul, Jenna.” She waited as Jen paid for her lunch, before continuing. “In fact, I’m thinking of going vegan one day. I still do have my meats at dinner, you see...”
Scratch that I’m not going to make it another ten minutes. Jen exited the lunch line looking around for a place to sit. Somewhere far far away from Josie, anywhere would do.
Josie stood next to Jen, also looking at the cafeteria. “I suggest we start a new table. Or at least, that’s my plan, cause the cafeteria is already separated into cliques.” she said, pointing at the already occupied tables. “That one is the soccer team’s table. And that one is where the band geeks sit. And that one,” she said, pausing for dramatic effect, “is the Cheerios table. They’re all wearing their uniform, see? Big no-no to sit there. They’ll eat us alive.”
Jen looked to each table as Josie pointed to it. She couldn’t sit at the soccer table yet because try-outs were later in the year. Plus the table was already full. She would’ve tried. “You know what, I’m going to go sit over there.” Jen said nodding to the Cheerios table. Anything would be better than this. “But, I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Okay, bye.” Jen felt bad just leaving Josie standing there but the girl hadn’t stopped talking since she’d sat down next to her and then she’d picked out her lunch! Jen slid into a free space at the table and she could swear all the conversation at the table stopped and most of it in the rest of the cafeteria had too.
Emily had just been laughing at something when she saw the other girl sit down. She turned to the other Cheerios and and raised an eyebrow. A few of them shrugged and one or two of them smirked wickedly at her. “I’m sorry,” she said slowly, drawing the girl’s attention. “Was there some sign posted that said we allowed losers to sit at this table?”
“Maybe,” Jen said, poking at the salad Josie had picked out for her. She frowned and opened her water bottle and took a sip.“Was that next to the sign that said ‘Warning don’t feed the Cheerios?’ I saw that one.”
The upper classman next to Emily tensed and she could feel the air in the cafeteria shift and she held her hand up. “Probably because sitting here will definitely get you eaten alive, little girl,” she said in a haughty tone.
“Awesome” Jen nodded not really listening, she’d seen worse. There really wasn’t anything Emily could say that would scare her. Looking at the tray of the Cheerio she’d sat down next to she noticed that the girl had a slightly more appealing looking salad. “Are you going to eat that?” She asked. “I’ll trade.”
“Hey, Freshman, I’m talking to you,” Emily said again, slapping her palm on the table and drawing attention to herself.
Jen tensed, unable to help her instinctual reaction to the sound. But it just made her angry. Who the hell did this girl think she was? She could be captain of every club, committee and sports team in this whole school but they were in Lima, Ohio and that didn’t really make her special. Maybe the rest of the people in this school were willing to put up with her attitude but Jen wasn’t. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m not getting up. Maybe you should stop wasting your breath. Or do something constructive and get this chick over her to trade her salad with me.”
Clenching her jaw, Emily felt her nostrils flare. Where did this girl get off? “You come sit at my table uninvited and have the nerve to tell me you’re not going to move? I won’t bother asking if you know who I am because it’s obvious you don’t. I am the girl who’s bad side you don’t want to get on. I will end you, you string-haired, oily-skinned freakshow in thrift store hand-me downs. Now, kindly remove yourself from this table or you will be physically removed.”
Jen looked from the brunette who’d been giving her a hard time and then up and down the table at the other Cheerios who all looked like they were trying to figure out if what was taking place was really happening. Most of them looked like they believed this was some sort of diet induced hallucination. She spotted Bree and figured smiling at her would be a bad idea. She leaned back speaking to one of the students seated at the table behind her. It took a few minutes but the boy finally replied with the brunette’s name. “Emily?” Jen asked as she righted herself at the table. “Emily, captain of the Cheerios?”
“That’s right and you’re at my table uninvited. So, move!” Emily snapped.
Jen blinked at Emily for a few moments before turning to the girl next to her again. “Does she yell at you too when she doesn’t get her way?”
Emily’s gaze fell to the girl menacingly and she smirked when the girl turned from pest and looked down at her tray.
“It was just a question.” Jen grumbled. She looked back to Emily. “Do you hear that?” She leaned forward across the table, lowering her voice so that anyone but Emily would have to strain to hear what she said. “Really, it’s what you don’t hear. Every single person in the cafeteria is listening to what’s going on at this table. The more you try to make me move the more everyone is realizing that you can’t. So, I think the smart thing to do is to just let me sit here.”
Looking, Emily saw that while everyone gave the appearance of not paying attention almost every person was continuously glancing over at her table. She hated being outsmarted and would make good on making this girl’s life a living hell, but she couldn’t afford to start a fight unprovoked. She’d get suspended and that would be the end of her barely started reign as Captain. She pulled back and looked around. “I suppose I am feeling benevolent today. You can buy the right to sit here today,” she smirked and held out her hand. “Twenty dollars please.”
“Well, as you so kindly pointed out I’m wearing the latest in thrift-store hand me down fashion.” Jen sat back in her seat, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “So, you know, I owe you.”
“Well, if you don’t have my money by homeroom tomorrow, expect a slushie facial for everyday it’s late,” Emily smirked at the other girls. They were going to slushie this girl anyway, but at least this way she’d be getting money out of the deal.
“My favorite flavor is blueberry. I’ll get one for you too.”
Where: WMHS cafeteria
When: Monday, 15 September 2016
What: How it begins...
“...Oh, and Rachel Berry, you know her? She’s famous on Broadway. Anyway, she left Ohio, which was a good choice in my opinion, and then she became famous! It’s inspiring! And she attended this very school! Can you believe it? We’re walking in the very same hallways a Broadway star once walked! Someday someone will say the exact same things, but about me, of course, I intend to...” Josie rambled on excitedly to her companion, whom she though was doing a very good job of listening, as they entered the cafeteria of William McKinley High School.
Jen looked around the room nodding absently as...Josie rambled on about Broadway and Rachel Berry and a thousand and eighty-six other things. They’d been assigned seats next to each other in their fourth period class, Josie sat next to her in their fifth and now they were on their way to lunch. All Jen had said was ‘hi’ and the next thing she knew Josie’s life story. They were now moving onto future aspirations apparently. Jen hadn’t gotten a word in. She nodded absently as they entered the cafeteria, looking around for somewhere to sit, and managed to interject. “Are your buying lunch?”
“Nope, I brought my lunch. My mom made salad, because I don’t trust the quality of school cafeteria food. Will you be buying your lunch?” Josie asked, scanning the cafeteria for an empty table.
Jen nodded, “Yeah, I’m buying. So...I have to get in line.” So, we’re going to separate and you’re going to go away.
“Okay, let’s go join the queue then!” Josie chattered excitedly, oblivious to Jen’s discomfort as she followed her to the cafeteria line.
“I don’t want -” Jen tried to interject as Josie placed the things on her tray that she’d deemed the healthiest choices the cafeteria offered. I am not going to make it through lunch with this girl.
Josie made a tut-tut sound at Jen’s rejection, before saying, “A healthy body leads to a healthy heart, mind and soul, Jenna.” She waited as Jen paid for her lunch, before continuing. “In fact, I’m thinking of going vegan one day. I still do have my meats at dinner, you see...”
Scratch that I’m not going to make it another ten minutes. Jen exited the lunch line looking around for a place to sit. Somewhere far far away from Josie, anywhere would do.
Josie stood next to Jen, also looking at the cafeteria. “I suggest we start a new table. Or at least, that’s my plan, cause the cafeteria is already separated into cliques.” she said, pointing at the already occupied tables. “That one is the soccer team’s table. And that one is where the band geeks sit. And that one,” she said, pausing for dramatic effect, “is the Cheerios table. They’re all wearing their uniform, see? Big no-no to sit there. They’ll eat us alive.”
Jen looked to each table as Josie pointed to it. She couldn’t sit at the soccer table yet because try-outs were later in the year. Plus the table was already full. She would’ve tried. “You know what, I’m going to go sit over there.” Jen said nodding to the Cheerios table. Anything would be better than this. “But, I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Okay, bye.” Jen felt bad just leaving Josie standing there but the girl hadn’t stopped talking since she’d sat down next to her and then she’d picked out her lunch! Jen slid into a free space at the table and she could swear all the conversation at the table stopped and most of it in the rest of the cafeteria had too.
Emily had just been laughing at something when she saw the other girl sit down. She turned to the other Cheerios and and raised an eyebrow. A few of them shrugged and one or two of them smirked wickedly at her. “I’m sorry,” she said slowly, drawing the girl’s attention. “Was there some sign posted that said we allowed losers to sit at this table?”
“Maybe,” Jen said, poking at the salad Josie had picked out for her. She frowned and opened her water bottle and took a sip.“Was that next to the sign that said ‘Warning don’t feed the Cheerios?’ I saw that one.”
The upper classman next to Emily tensed and she could feel the air in the cafeteria shift and she held her hand up. “Probably because sitting here will definitely get you eaten alive, little girl,” she said in a haughty tone.
“Awesome” Jen nodded not really listening, she’d seen worse. There really wasn’t anything Emily could say that would scare her. Looking at the tray of the Cheerio she’d sat down next to she noticed that the girl had a slightly more appealing looking salad. “Are you going to eat that?” She asked. “I’ll trade.”
“Hey, Freshman, I’m talking to you,” Emily said again, slapping her palm on the table and drawing attention to herself.
Jen tensed, unable to help her instinctual reaction to the sound. But it just made her angry. Who the hell did this girl think she was? She could be captain of every club, committee and sports team in this whole school but they were in Lima, Ohio and that didn’t really make her special. Maybe the rest of the people in this school were willing to put up with her attitude but Jen wasn’t. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m not getting up. Maybe you should stop wasting your breath. Or do something constructive and get this chick over her to trade her salad with me.”
Clenching her jaw, Emily felt her nostrils flare. Where did this girl get off? “You come sit at my table uninvited and have the nerve to tell me you’re not going to move? I won’t bother asking if you know who I am because it’s obvious you don’t. I am the girl who’s bad side you don’t want to get on. I will end you, you string-haired, oily-skinned freakshow in thrift store hand-me downs. Now, kindly remove yourself from this table or you will be physically removed.”
Jen looked from the brunette who’d been giving her a hard time and then up and down the table at the other Cheerios who all looked like they were trying to figure out if what was taking place was really happening. Most of them looked like they believed this was some sort of diet induced hallucination. She spotted Bree and figured smiling at her would be a bad idea. She leaned back speaking to one of the students seated at the table behind her. It took a few minutes but the boy finally replied with the brunette’s name. “Emily?” Jen asked as she righted herself at the table. “Emily, captain of the Cheerios?”
“That’s right and you’re at my table uninvited. So, move!” Emily snapped.
Jen blinked at Emily for a few moments before turning to the girl next to her again. “Does she yell at you too when she doesn’t get her way?”
Emily’s gaze fell to the girl menacingly and she smirked when the girl turned from pest and looked down at her tray.
“It was just a question.” Jen grumbled. She looked back to Emily. “Do you hear that?” She leaned forward across the table, lowering her voice so that anyone but Emily would have to strain to hear what she said. “Really, it’s what you don’t hear. Every single person in the cafeteria is listening to what’s going on at this table. The more you try to make me move the more everyone is realizing that you can’t. So, I think the smart thing to do is to just let me sit here.”
Looking, Emily saw that while everyone gave the appearance of not paying attention almost every person was continuously glancing over at her table. She hated being outsmarted and would make good on making this girl’s life a living hell, but she couldn’t afford to start a fight unprovoked. She’d get suspended and that would be the end of her barely started reign as Captain. She pulled back and looked around. “I suppose I am feeling benevolent today. You can buy the right to sit here today,” she smirked and held out her hand. “Twenty dollars please.”
“Well, as you so kindly pointed out I’m wearing the latest in thrift-store hand me down fashion.” Jen sat back in her seat, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “So, you know, I owe you.”
“Well, if you don’t have my money by homeroom tomorrow, expect a slushie facial for everyday it’s late,” Emily smirked at the other girls. They were going to slushie this girl anyway, but at least this way she’d be getting money out of the deal.
“My favorite flavor is blueberry. I’ll get one for you too.”