New: Powers

New: Powers (Chapter 10)

Chapter 10: I teach Bri and Connor about social classes

I approached my locker to exchange my books for the next class. "You are so strong. Can I feel your biceps?" I heard a voice say. The brunette had one hand on her hip and the other on my boyfriend's arm. Her foot was just slightly off of the ground. My fists got hot. I stormed over there, trying my best to look intimidating although I was not succeeding. Even I could tell my cheeks were as red as tomatoes. "Excuse me, could I have a word in private with my BOYFRIEND?" I interrupted, tightly squeezing Connor's hand. The brunette's hand was no longer on Connor's arm. "Oh! I'm sorry! You are so lucky to have a guy as great as Carter. So when was your first date?" the brunette asked. I looked at Connor. "Well, we haven't really... Had one yet," I replied after a while. "So you're telling me that you've never been on a date before? And you have the audacity to say that you're dating?" She stepped closer to me, narrowing her eyes. "That is just sad." I could feel people staring at us and whispering in the hallway. "Hey, Jessie. Why don't you cool down? You said you needed to talk to me?" I came back to reality to see that smoke was rising from my hand, which was squeezing Connor's. My face was almost the same exact shade of red as my hands. I took a deep breath. "Carter, can I talk to you... Somewhere that's not here?" I pulled him down the hall and into a utility closet and closed the door behid us. "Allie are you okay? You were burning up back there." I decided to be honest.

"No, I'm not okay! Didn't you see she was all over you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Wow for someone who has infrared vision you're acting really blind. Don't you see? She wants you. She likes you."

"Why are you so worried about that?"

"Why shouldn't I be?!"

"Because. Because you are the only girl I see." He brushed the hair off of my face. "Do you feel better now?" I nodded sheepishly. "And about that date thing-" Connor started to say. "It's fine. We have to focus on studying and looking for Ellie," I replied.

"I understand but it's not fine. I want us to be in a relationship and I want it to be a healthy one."

"It is a healthy one. It's a perfect one."

Two hours later, I sat down at a lunch table with Bri, Clay, and Connor. We kept our voices low. "Have you guys found her yet? Because I haven't heard of anyone named Ellie in this school yet," Clay asked. We all shook our heads. I picked at the pizza the cafeteria had served today. I glanced at the table next to us. One of the guys was rolling up the cheese and using it as a bouncy ball. I could feel my breakfast climbing up my throat. "So..." Bri said all of a sudden. "How was everyone's first day of school?" Connor was the first to speak up. "Good, I guess. I asked the football coach if he could get me a tryout soon."

"Isn't it a little late for tryouts?" Clay asked.

"Yeah, but Mr. Wayne said tht we should do everything we can to fit in, and draw attention away from ourselves. How about you, B- I mean Kristin?"

"I asked for a spot on the squad, showed them a few of my moves, and they've ordered a uniform for me."

"That fast?"

"Why are you so surprised?" She asked Clay with an "I'm so much better than you" grin. "Well, I'm sticking to skateboarding. Unlike you guys, I'm not desperate in doing everything to 'fit in'. I'm a natural at it already."

"Speaking of fitting in, what exactly did he mean by that?" Connor asked. Clay and I were in shock. "You mean you have never- can you believe this?"

"Actually I was wondering the same thing..." Clay and I looked at each other in disbelief. "Well then. Looks like you two need an education in social class. James, I think we need to teach them a lesson," I said, noticing the glint in his eyes. He just sat back in his chair, his fingers interlocked behind his head. "Whatever. I guess it'll be fun being the teacher rather than sitting in class listening to one talking about many MANY failed relationships. NOBODY cares about your love life Mrs. Addison."

"After school, your lesson starts in the limo. Be there."

"Okay, so let's go over this one more time," I said pointing towards the chart wedged in between the seats. "This is the social pyramid. Only the cheerleaders and the jocks are at the top." "Unless you're hot," Clay interrupted. "That's the only exception, but usually if you're hot you're either a football player or a cheerleader. Next level: the Averages. These are the people in the middle. There are also sublevels to this main level, but this level is mostly made up of emos, 'hipsters' I guess you could say, like Allison, skaters like me, guitar freaks, and just plain boring people."

"If you play a sport that isn't football AND play video games, you're in this level," I added. "At the bottom are the nerds and geeks. Gamers, chess geeks, whovians, potterheads, all geeky fandoms belong at the bottom. These people are socially awkward and are sometimes treated like dirt by the jocks. This only happens at some schools, though."

"So why are the jocks so mean to the nerds?"

"I don't know. Jealousy? Just don't question it, this is how society works," Clay answered. "Girls are different than boys. Boys are more physical and would hit other boys. Girls prefer to crush their enemies by spreading rumours and talking behind people's backs. Although a punch may hurt on the outside, nothing is more devastating than when a girl spreads rumours."

"Wow."

"So how come you guys have never noticed any of this?"

"We were taught how to fight, not how high school works. The only education we got was from our parents," Bri replied. The limo skidded to a halt in front of the mansion. "So judging by this lesson, I can predict that this Ellie character will be in the nerds and geeks level, considering the fact that we haven't seen her or heard of her yet," Connor hypothsized. "Nice. I bet you're right. Maybe we'll find her tomorrow."

The next day, there was a long line that stretched from the school's lobby and the curb of the street. I skimmed through all of the people in line, and found a spunky redhead near the front. I ran up to her and tapped her on the shoulder."Hey! You're that girl that saved my butt in homeroom yesterday, right?"

"Oh, yeah! The name is Alex. You're one of those girls that are here for nine months... Jessie, right?"

"Yeah. So why are so many people in line?"

"Oh, we're in line to buy tickets for the winter formal."

"What winter formal?"

"Well, every year, during the winter, Neptune High has a winter dance. I should know I'm in student council. You are looking at the secretary. Anyway, you can also sign up to be Snow Princess. It's not as big as being prom queen, but it's pretty high up. You should go for it!"

"Oh, no I couldn't. Pageants aren't really my thing. Well, thanks for the intel. I've gotta go, bye," I said hastily as I spotted Bri, Connor, and Clay waiting by the curb. "See you around, Jessie."

"So did you find out what the line is for?" Clay asked. "Well, apparently, it's for a school dance in December. The line is for people who want to buy tickets or to sign up for Snow Prince and Princess. You should sign up, Kristin," I offered. Bri didn't need to be told twice. She practically ran to the back of the line. "Clay, we should really get to class," I advised, keeping my voice low. He nodded. "Carter, are you coming?"

"You guys can go on ahead. I have to do something first."