nada // l.p. [hiatus]

0. P R O LO G U E

a/n: while reading this remember that school years start in the end of the previous. ((ex. school year: 2012 - 2013 <April of that school year would be in 2013>)) just a reminder.

September 2009

Second Grade

With a deep frown edged on her face and her small hands clasped tightly around the red handle of her Spider-Man lunch box, Lola Rukin slowly makes her way into the noisy lunch room.

Being in a new school was never easy for her, granted she's only done it twice now, she was never the best at making new friends. She dreaded the fact that with a new school, she had no friends which meant no place to sit when the horrid lunch period came around.

The tables are packed, she notices, barely any room for the students to enjoy their lunches without being disturbed by one way or another.

She can tell where all the groups sit, even at such a young age; she sees the preppy girls giving her side way glances, whispering into each other's ears as they giggle and laugh. She notes the smart ones, sitting respectively with their food sat perfectly in front of them. And then the trouble making boys - and occasional girls, her eyes wide when a flying Oreo misses her head, who's table is filled with spilled drinks and old pb&j's.

With cautious steps, she makes her way towards the end, a seemingly empty table coming into view as she perks up. She places her lunch box down, slowly beginning to open it when a hand shuts it closed.

Lola looks up, her eyes wide as they stare into a pair of fiery brown ones. "And what do you think you're doing?" The stranger asks, her four friends standing behind her with their arms crossed over their chests.

"I'm - I was going to eat my lunc-"

"Not at our table, newbie!" The girl picks up Lola's lunch box, holding it high in the air as she tosses it to the ground. The whole cafeteria goes quiet, small murmurs and noises being heard, but nothing too loud to comprehend.

The gir- the mean girl, lifts her leg up high, turning to Lola as if challenging her. Lola swallowed hard, she really loved that lunch box.

"Stop it Heather." All eyes turned to the short and chubby eight year old, picking up Lola's lunch box before Heather could do any further damage.

"Leave her alone." The boy stated as firmly as he could, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, fists clenched slightly by his side.

"Leave her alone - shut up Liam, you're not the boss of me." Heather mocked, a wicked smirk plastered on her face as her accomplices snicker behind her.

"I'm not, but Miss Wellington is." Liam smiled, his eyes shooting their attention to the right as Heather gasps, all color seeping from her face.

"You wouldn't! You never snitch!" Liam shrugged, turning towards Lola. "Here, it's got a few scratches and dents, but it still looks cool." He gave her a small smile, handing her lunch box back before turning to face Heather.

"I will if you mess with her. Don't mess with one of my friends!" And with that Liam turned, snatching Lola's hand and dragging her out of the cafeteria.

July 2013

Summer Before Middle School