Chapter 4 - The Cheerleaders' Table
Brie got lucky. By the time the nurse made it in, looked her over, and felt it was safe to release her, first period was over and part of second too. She and Jordyn had compared schedules before the bell rang and found they shared second through forth together. Jordyn had been so nice to her. Brie's stomach unknotted a little knowing there would be someone safe in her morning classes.
The halls were mercifully empty as she passed through them on her way to Econ. Piedmont High was a large three-story building, unlike Lowell's sprawling campus. There was one big plus about changing schools. PH had less than half the number of students as her old school. And though she hated leaving her friends in California, the fresh start was almost welcome.
She has discovered too many disturbing things about the people she thought she knew. Pictures flashed through her mind in rapid succession like a GIF: Janice, who sat next to her in Calculus, going home to rooms filled with garbage and a mother passed out on a couch in a drunken stupor, Aaron in Spanish class getting pantsed again in the boy's locker room by the captain of the basketball team, and her best friend Sue looking up at her uncle after he molested her years ago. Brie squeezed her eyes shut to block out the horrific images. She couldn't help her friends and it made her sick to her stomach to feel so helpless. They weren't strangers. These were kids she'd known for years, and that made it so much worse. It got to the point she hated going to school. Every day became another opportunity to discover awful things about her fellow students.
With a shake of her head, Brie tried to clear out the dark thoughts. Yeah, the move had been painful, but she hoped the people in Whitefish hadn't faced the same horrors she had seen in the city.
Econ was in room 312, on the top floor of school. Taped over the door window was a newsletter and calendar. She peeked between the gaps of paper at the teacher and students, some of whom she thought might have been on the bus that morning. She found Jordyn in the middle of the third row and an empty chair in the front she hoped her teacher would assign to her.
Brie checked her schedule for the teacher's name and saw 'Norton' listed next to Econ. He was youngish, had a flop of dark, dark hair and a long, modern beard, the way some men wore them now. She couldn't hear him talking, but he seemed friendly enough in the way he interacted with the class. He said something, smiled, and then the students laughed.
She took a deep breath. The hall pass had a time stamp on it. If she stood there any longer not only would she be interrupting class as a new student, but she'd also have to explain what took her so long.
Gathering her courage, she pulled the door open and walked in.
"Brie Ranger?" the teacher said.
She nodded. Her eyes wandered around but she was careful not to look at him directly. Once she got a better feel for him she'd risk a direct glance.
"I have a tardy slip," she said, holding the paper out.
She knew he was studying her. "Okay, thanks. I'm Mr. Norton. Welcome to the class." He stepped into her line of vision and took the note. "Brie," he said, trying to get her attention.
She shifted back and forth on her feet but didn't look at him.
"You can sit wherever you like. I don't use a seating chart."
"Thank you," she said barely above a whisper and shrunk into the seat up front.
Mr. Norton picked up a small pile from his desk and placed them in front of her. "Here's your books, the syllabus and a few other papers you'll need."
For the rest of class Brie followed along, relieved she was able to keep up with the discussion. Mr. Norton was an excellent teacher, fun, and entertaining. She even found herself smiling at his lame jokes and comic book references.
When the bell rang, Brie threw her backpack over her shoulder and Jordyn caught up with her. "How's your lip?"
"Better," she said relaxing a little.
"This is Paige and Brittany," Jordyn said, motioning to the two girls beside her.
Brie panicked for a moment. She was going to have to suck it up and deal with this. If she didn't look at the girls they would think she was rude, or weird, or stuck-up. She'd end up with a horrible label or name that would follow her the rest of her senior year. Brie would never live it down.
Her energy drained. With one hand clasping her other elbow, she met their eyes and gave them a slow smile.
Nada. She got nada. The umpire yelled "safe."
Tall and thin, Paige had strawberry blond hair and her pale pink lips turned up in a kitten smile that hinted of mischief. Brie imagined her walking into a party and everyone yelling, "party's on now."
"Hey, Brie," Paige said. "Sorry about the bus thing this morning. Just wait—Gary'll get what he deserves. I saw the whole thing. Damn, everyone on the bus did."
Brie hadn't expected the sympathy or support. "Um...thanks," she said.
Out of the three, Brittany was the shortest and had the proverbial cheerleader's body and great looks. Her long blond hair had expensive highlights with pink ends, and she wore it in waves around her face. She gave Brie a warm smile, stepped forward and hugged her.
Brie's brows shot up and she froze stiff as a board while the other girls giggled.
"Welcome to Piedmont High," Brittany said. "You looked like you needed a hug."
Caught in the girl's infectious laughter, Brie joined in.
Jordyn rolled her eyes. "She hugs everyone."
"Only when they need it," Brittany protested and smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.
"Thanks for that," Brie said, walking out of the classroom with her heart lifted. The day began in disaster but things were definitely looking up.
Paige and Brittany headed to the first floor, and Jordyn and Brie the second. Brie introduced herself to the Spanish teacher, who asked her to repeat the sentence in Spanish. Brie repeated it as asked, not surprised, because her old teacher would have asked her to do the same. With Jordyn at her side, Brie felt brave and met Mrs. Sanchez's gaze without hesitation.
The two girls sat next to each other, which was helpful because the teacher had them do mock interviews in Spanish. They had to assume the personality of a celebrity and answer questions accordingly. Brie guessed correctly Jordyn's pseudo identity was Taylor Swift with the clue she dated a boy by the same name. Jordyn took longer to figure out Brie was pretending to be Channing Tatum because she wasn't expecting her to be a boy. Brie did a little Magic Mike dance imitation in her seat and the two ended up laughing through the rest of class.
Brie forgot her fear as the two headed out the door. And then Jordyn reminded her it was lunch.
"You can sit at our table," Jordyn said. "I'll introduce you to the cheerleaders."
"You're a cheerleader?" she asked. Brie's insecurities came rushing in.
"Yes. So are Brittany and Paige."
Just thinking about sitting at a table full of perfectly polished girls made Brie feel as if a rock had settled in her stomach. She wasn't pretty. She was smart. She could be funny at times, but she knew she'd probably do something dumb and humiliate herself. Not to mention the whole 'I see your darkest secrets' problem.
"I was planning to go to the library and catch up on some reading," Brie said.
Jordyn looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "You have to eat. Don't be silly. You're coming with me."
And that is how Brie found herself in a crowded lunchroom surrounded by eight bubbly cheerleaders, all of them talking at once. Not in a million years would this have happened back in California.
Everyone was friendly. They seemed genuinely interested in her. She didn't feel like an outsider. The girls asked her questions about San Francisco and what it was like to live in a city with millions of people. They joked and fooled around.
She almost felt like one of them—until Gary came strutting into the cafeteria with a cute blond girl at his side.
Jordyn and Paige narrowed their brows. "I just don't know what Mackenzie sees in him," Paige said.
Gary and the girl walked towards the cheerleader's table. Gary gave Brie a hard look as they passed. Brie met his stare square on. She already knew what he hid in his dark soul. He was a bully and she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. She stared back, giving him her version of a hard-guy face.
Half the table whirled around and started questioning her, everyone talking over one another about what just happened. They wanted to know why he singled her out. She told them the bus story with Brittany, Paige, and Jordyn jumping in adding details. When she was done, some of the girls were shocked, others worried about her, and a few nodded their heads in approval.
The cheerleaders turned in their seats and watched Gary get in line with his girlfriend, their voices low, talking about him. The couple queued up but they were only there a few minutes before it became obvious they were arguing. Gary raised his voice and called the girl a bitch. Mackenzie slammed her tray down on the counter, splashing tomato soup all over Gary, and stormed out.
The girls at the table snickered. Gary's jersey and half his face was covered in red. He fisted his hands and kicked the tray that had fallen to the floor. He looked like he wanted to murder someone. If it had been anyone else, Brie would have felt sorry for him. Gary finally ran after Mackenzie, shoving several boys out of his way as he sprinted from the cafeteria.
Brittany turned toward Paige. "Oh wise and ever-knowing swami, you speaketh the truth. Your prediction has come true," she said. With her hands out she bowed several time in her seat.
Paige smiled triumphantly. "And don't you forget it," she said.
***
Spinning the dial on the padlock for her locker, Brie breathed a sigh of relief. She'd made it through her first day with only one major revelation, had met and made friends with several cheerleaders, which in itself was a miracle, and had been brave enough to talk to a few of her teachers. She still kept her head down when she walked the halls, but she hoped this would change in the not too distant future.
As she pulled out her last book, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hi, Brie," said a boy's voice behind her.
Shocked, she spun around to face the most amazing light blue eyes. Boys hardly ever talked to her. If he hadn't said her name, she would have sworn he was looking for someone else. Come to think of it, how did he even know her name?
That's when she recognized him as the boy Emma talked to when she got off the bus.
"I just wanted to thank you for what you did this morning," he said.
Brie shook her head, meaning she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Emma told me you stopped her from snitching on Gary."
"Yeah," she said.
"She's my little sister. I was in the back of the bus and couldn't get to her. If she'd said anything Gary would have been suspended. The whole school would have been pissed because he'd have to sit out the game on Friday."
If Gary had been suspended she wouldn't have cared, but having the school mad at Emma would have been wrong.
"So...I just wanted to say thank you. I'm Josh, by the way."
"No problem," Brie said a little breathy.
The guy was cute. Really cute, like a young Johnny Depp cute. He was tall and lean, and she wondered if he played a sport. He had those gorgeous eyes, like Emma, and long hair he kept running his fingers through to push it out of his face. But not for one minute did Brie fool herself. He was way out of her league.
"You heading out?" he asked.
She nodded. Why was he still talking to her?
"I'll walk you to the bus."
Brie tried to play it cool, but her stomach was full of butterflies. "Okay," she said, hiding her smile as she turned around.
__________
Author's note: The pictures at the top, from left to right are:
Jordyn, Paige, and Brittany
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