"Anybody can listen to your problems. A friend will give you advice to try to make you feel better. A best friend will tell you the truth, the hood, the bad, or the ugly."

Token knew exactly what Gene's plan was. Take the seat in the middle of the lunchroom to assert herself as if the seating location mattered and kids with better things to do would just leave or focus on eating with their friends.

Gene arrived there first, resting her belongings on the bench and going to get food, but on her way back, she found two groups of seniors getting ready to join her on both ends of the table much to her dismay. And on the line, Token and Zhang noticed Xotic staring her down while touching his pants with a smile that screamed he could get away with anything. After all, attractiveness could be attributed to apathy over their offenses. Sadly.

Just as he was about to take his tray, two ladies pushed the two older ones away to talk to Xotic. Token took that as an opportunity to order lunch for herself and Zhang, and the two wheeled and raced over to the same table as Gene, sitting across from her once Celin sat next to her. Once they jumped in, Token looked up to see Xotic staring her down, and no more seats for him.

He raised his fist, about to say something, when the hands of Dawn and Echo wrapped around his wrist, and the pure disgust and shock on his face as they took him away resulted in a similar one from Gene much to Token's relief.

Now they were in the middle of the center lunch table with upperclassmen higher than them and little knowledge on who they were. Gene, Token, and Celin weren't sure what to say.

Zhang immediately went to start up a conversation with them about how they all just wanted to get out of here, which led to an argument about whether or not the town was worth leaving for or staying and just going to a nearby college. Token and Celin ended up joining, with the former preferring to leave and figure out her own path, and the latter preferring to stay. She wanted to ask him more on that, but he asked Gene about which one she would choose, only to be preoccupied with other matters.

She rolled her eyes at Dawn and Echo's behavior. "Sluts. They probably want to whore themselves for him. Filthy heathens."

The guy on the other side of her beside Celin asked her why she was calling people whores.

"They just think he's hot and want to get into his pants. They probably would post that shit of their ugly asses all on the internet."

The senior was causally defensive. "Hey, my girl and I smash on Only/Fans. Money's tight and we got an audience."

"Doesn't that make her a whore?"

The two exchanged names after he, August, took the time to process it. "Nah sis, sex can fun for anyone. You just gotta do it with the right person. Although that probably makes me a manwhore, lul," giggling over the thought. "We were put on this earth to do whatever we want. As long as no one gets hurt, I don't see it as a bad thing."

Her mother taught her otherwise but Gene was willing to listen. "What if it's a sinful experience?"

"Hey, everyone's a critic. But hey, if you're doing it with someone who cares, it'll work out. Just take it nice, steady, and smooth."

"Hmm."

"Well don't pressure yourself if you don't want to. Not every teen is out there smashing. If it's not for you, it's not for you. Taking different strokes or no strokes ain't bad in my book. Every girl's got their preference."

Gene scoffed. "Maybe," thinking about how she could handle it better than anyone in Alpha's group.

Token was curious to get the advice of another older figure as well, tapping the older brunette, Blair next to her. "Hey, what would you do if you felt like you were losing your friends?" Gene eyed her for a bit but thought nothing of it, while the muscular, baggy shirt wearing girl with a beanie was eager to ask.

"It'll happen to the best and the worst of us. True friendships will always mean something to you. Those memories don't just go away. And if you lose someone, there'll be someone who will give you a chance."

"If they start acting like a bad friend?"

Blair sighed. "It's hard to deal with it. But maybe you're better off without them. Be as happy as the company you find yourself with. I got these guys," pointing with her thumb, "and that's enough for me."

While Token took that info to heart, Celin asked the person next to him some advice. "What if you're in love with someone and you don't feel like they'll ever get back to you?"

Mackenzie, a red haired beauty who yawned a lot, was quick to answer. "Probably just move on and don't be a dick about it. Rejections are hard, but unless they're some monster who gets off on hurting people, you can still be friends with them."

His eyes widened. Then he lowered his head. "Oh, I see."

"And there's a right person out there for someone. Or try asking out someone else and see what happens. Life's a cruel game, but there are some levels that lead to a happy ending if you play it differently." After yawning, she started tapping him on the shoulder and pulling out a Switch. "Celin, right? You wanna help me out with this. Need a partner for this co-op game."

"Yeah, sure!" He joined her for a quick match.

Zhang's question was equally thought provoking.

"So you all are starting to visit colleges and stuff. Is the school food better than the average garbage here?"

"Now she's asking the real questions," all having a laugh with her.

Gene was annoyed, wondering why Zhang was getting the spotlight.

Token tried to just get her to chill. She didn't have to play the loveable angel, the seniors seemed to genuinely like them. She mouthed to her friend to just be herself and natural, but Gene sucked her teeth and looked away, smiling at a much better source of intrigue, and Token did the same to spot Xotic sternly looking at their table. Dawn and Echo were chatting up a storm, and he yawned, not caring less about what they had to do. Yet Token noticed he was playing with his hands. She assumed it was nothing.

Then she turned around and a guy who's eyes switched between itching all around, and being more white than a broken iPhone charger was right above Gene.

He slid the tray down, and Token had to watch her best friend be subjected to a geyser of milk, mashed potatoes, hummus, pasta salad, dressing, and her subsequent screams of terrors caught the attention of everyone. Celin was just as blindsided and when he got up to confront the culprit, they knocked him aside with one fist, then holding it with the other as it seemed like it was struggling to move.

To make matters worse, Carolyn started laughing at her, calling her Dressing Gene. Dawn and Echo joined her and Token could see them tapping those nearby to increase the hyenas onto the chorus and others started opening up their phones. A spotlight of flashes and video records haunted and blinded her while she tried not to embarrass herself from the squirms her eyes were making trying to fight the burning irritation of her eyes.

The seniors around called out the guy for doing so while Token got up and was ready to get some towels and napkins to help her friend. They said nothing while Gene started yelling at everyone to shut up and stop calling her Dressing Gene, on the verge of tears. He raised his hand with the tray, prepared to smack her in the face.

Token rushed to her aid, only for Xotic to emerge in front of Gene, who was able to open her eyes as he stopped the guy's hand rather effortlessly. Color returned their eyes, but Xotic took the tray and smashed it into his face. The guy started fighting back, asking what was going on, but Gene didn't care to listen as her white knight under shining lunchroom lights flipped the guy over to the ground.

Xotic proceeded to knee down and punch the living daylights out of Gene's attacker, faster and harder to the point blood started dripping out of his face. Token could hear what sounded like a cry for help as the guy lifted up his arm, only for Xotic twisting it to cause him to yell out in misery, begging for the torture to the end.

On one hand, Token thought he had it coming. On the other hand, Xotic refused to stop. But she wasn't sure what to do. Zhang and the others seemed to agree with the former, and Gene didn't deserve that, but the alternative was having her mom come to school with the rest of the police finding a student getting beaten to death.

Gene bore witness to the sight once the pain seeped from her eyes but before she could say anything, most of the seniors were trying to pull the two guys away from one another and Token was still wiping her down. Mr. Yang showed up and demanded they stop, asking what happened.

Carolyn rushed in, claiming Gene started a food fight, someone fought back and Xotic beat him up for her. Token and Gene claimed otherwise which led the teacher confused. He told them to stop, and told them to bring the guy who threw the food to the nurse's office, and then the principal's office, told everyone to put away the phones or they'll be confiscated, asked someone to help Gene clean off, and told Xotic that he would be called in for questioning later.

Carolyn offered to escort the beaten up face to the office while Token and Zhang went Gene to the bathroom to help out their friend. As they saw her walk out, Carolyn stuck her tongue and pulled out her eyelid. Gene knew exactly who was for and lunged at her, striking her straight in the face.

"You whore!"

Gene and Zhang had to drag her back from Carolyn's wrath and create a fight, questioning how much she loved to use that word, until Yang made Carolyn leave earlier.

Soon, the three were in the girl's bathroom, trying to clean off. They got some of it off, but it was clear most of her outfit would need to get thrown into the laundry. Gene puffed.

"Fuck her."

"Some guys want to. But hey," Zhang snickered, "someone finally clocked her in the face. Only took us about a decade to do so."

"Carolyn's responsible for this. I just know it. Why does that bitch love tearing down every single girl who crosses her path?"

Token and Zhang's disapproving eyes took notice of the irony, though they agreed their friend was the lesser of two evils in this case. The latter wasn't sure of everything that led up to that moment.

"But why would some random guy do that to you? Please tell me you and your family didn't do something to him."

Gene shook her head. "Mom and dad are busy using my loser brother as their election campaign. If they said anything about some loser like that," sighing, "yeah they probably wouldn't tell me." She shook off the feeling. "But no, I'm pretty sure Alpha and her Alphabetas in the Alphabets were behind that."

Token blinked, with no expression on her face. "You seriously did not just call them that."

Zhang started laughing. "I don't know, it kinda fits."

"How?"

Gene defended the name. "Alpha, Caro-cunt, Dumb Dawn, Echo Chamber? That's literally the start of the alphabet!"

Token's brain took a while to realize that bizarre coincidence. "Wait, aren't they missing a B?"

"They're her dumb betas bees on the side. Or it's probably some guy she gives BJ's too on the side when she seduces them with that whore outfit."

Zhang decided to address the elephant in the room with Token hesitating to say it herself.

"Sis, I know we've been around some shitty people living here, but you kinda have an issue with other women."

"The hell?" Zhang immediately pointed out all the "terms," she casually had been spitting out over not just day, but before. Token ended up mustering the confidence to say it.

"Just tone it down. Not every girl is out to get you. You have me and Zhang."

"So what, you're just gonna let all the shit they did to us pass? Are you serious?!"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Save it," Zhang interrupted. "Gene, you always do this."

"Do what?"

"Take everything out of context and then act like everyone's against you. Token's not."

"You are! And you wondered why I stopped talking with you, Evelyn."

Zhang sucked her teeth. "Because you act like some unattainable goddess who everyone should worship, but the moment anyone points out you're not perfect, suddenly, they're your enemy."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Token jumped in between them. "Don't make yourself be like Carolyn and Alpha just cuz that's how they treat you. I know, we know, you're better than that."

Gene blinked. "You're turning against me too?"

"What, no, we're just trying to say-"

Gene didn't listen to any of them at this point and stormed out of the bathroom, not bothering to talk with either of them throughout the rest of the day. By the final hour, she stormed out in anger and into the parking lot, where an uber car was driving straight into the school. She panicked as it was about to run her over.