Boseman High School Shenanigans: Episode 1

"You know the binder makes a difference," Zach says meekly. Rose' comments are making him queasy. And they definitely won't help his confidence the next time he has to change for gym class. Maybe he should get himself excused again. It wouldn't be the first time. And Ms. Maidstone is one of the few teachers who has been told about him so she is generally understanding. "And I guess I change quickly. I..."

He shrugs uncomfortably and breaks off, instead eyeing his sister's choice of clothing unhappily. "You don't need to dress like that, Rose," he tells her, even though he knows it won't change her mind. It never does. "You're really pretty. You have beautiful eyes. Let boys look at them instead of your boobs for a change." He sits down on her bed. "Marco?" he then asks, feeling even worse about his sister's choice of outfit now than before. He can already imagine the guy's greedy eyes wandering all over her body the entire ride. "I don't get why you even give this guy the time of day. Just because he has a car? He's just a creep who's way too fixated on highschool girls. And feels the need to carry a gun everywhere he goes for some reason. Seriously, does that not make you uncomfortable?"

Lily turns back around and gives Wendy a look that’s half bewildered, full smirk.

"They’re so… weird." she sniggers.

Then she stops dead, and her features becomes plain and expressionless. She jerks her arms up sudden, robotic-like.

"You… will… join… the… Borg. Do… not… resist."

She’d never seen Star Trek, so she wasn’t sure that’s what they did. At at glance, an onlooker might think she was doing a Cybermen impression from Doctor Who.

"Do… not… resist… Wen… dy!"

Then they both look back and watch a moment, to see how long it takes for them to stop.

Emily's eyes continue to be fixated on the flowers. There is no way she's meeting those eyes but her peripheral vision picks up their intensity. Her palms are sweaty now and there's a lump in her throat. She thinks she might be holding her breath but she isn't sure as her heart is thundering so loudly.

This is wrong!

His voice wraps around her senses especially when he says her name and when he grazes her cheek she feels as if she will melt into a puddle on the ground. The other noises, kids talking loudly, cars zooming away, are reduced to a distant muffle. Her world is right here, right now and she's terrified.

This is soooo wrong!

She finally regains the ability to talk. "Uh, tutoring? Um, sure. So college calculus?"

Freddie smiles gratefully at Ms. Maidstone, using that uncertain shy smile boys have of trying to convey sincere gratitude while maintaining the required appearance of manly detachment.

He looks for Rose but doesn't see her. I guess she wasn't interested.

He texts Emily as he walks to the car. One bar? Stupid Cricket, I've got to switch, as soon as I cash in my points, he says, a daily mantra.

Em, meet at river? let me no if need pin

At his car he sees the girls. "Hey, howza?" He holds out his fist for a bump as the car unlocks itself. "I'll drop you off at home then I'm going to study. Think Belinda cooked today? Oh, and what do you know about that new girl, Rose? Zack's little sister."

"I just want you to be careful," Zach sighs. "I know you're not a little girl anymore, but you'll always be my little sister so I just worry about you. There are lots of creeps at school." With a thought to Marco, he adds, "Or out of school. Trust me, I get to hear how these guys talk when there are no girls listening in. I just don't want you to get hurt."

He's given up on trying to police her wardrobe for today, so rather than watch her, he lies back on her bed and looks up at her ceiling. "Do you have a homecoming date yet?" Mostly just to annoy her, he adds, "I do, but if you want your big brother to go with you, I'm sure I could cancel on her."

"They’ll let anyone work here!" Lily says, with a roll of the eyes.

"If that test screws me over, at least I’ll be able to get a job here."

Then she pauses, and snaps her head to Wendy:

"Assimilating… students…"

And then she grabs the girl by the shoulders and replicates the two teachers’ behavior. Staring at Wendy from a few inches away.

And then she snaps out of it, and jostles her lightly!

"Wish I had my camera for that. Let’s go, before they grab us!" she says, starting to scurry off. She’s joking, but a shiver goes up her spine nevertheless. That shiver that makes you want to run upstairs once you’ve turned all the lights off behind you.

Emily startles from her trance when the principal calls out to the math teacher. Stepping away from Mr. Edge without realizing it, she is about to say something to him, but before she can her phone pings with a message from Freddie. The spell is broken and she yanks out her phone almost dropping it, her palms slippery with sweat. She taps back a response to keep busy with something as she has no idea what just happened.

Yes, no pin. You know where it is. Cya soon.

"Hi Mr. Kilvert. Yes I'm going now."

With her heart still thumping madly, she walks toward where she thinks Steve's car might be, anything to get away from the math teacher, not that she really wanted to but what was going on with him? Was he really into her? Missing his own test and being so forward with her. Fantasies were one thing, but acting on them?

Steve! Where are you? she taps out impatiently.

Freddie isn't thinking about Rose, or Priya, or even Emily, but on what Ms. Maidstone said. Words tumble through his brain, and he impulsively makes a decision. He slows down and pulls over to the side of the road. He turns to look at his sisters. Every intended word in his heart chokes up, vanishes, so he looks up at the ceiling of the car.

"We haven't talked about dad. Not really, not since I got out of the hospital. I know you blame me, and you should. It's all my fault." He wanted to say more, but that all came out wrong, and he missed the important part. Be strong, this is about them, not you.

"Maybe we all need to talk to someone. I don't know what you need, and you deserve it. I owe you everything." Tears blind him, his voice wavering.

"Marco should at some point figure out that he's not in school anymore. Seriously, don't you realize there's something creepy about how he seems exclusively interested in highschool girls? I mean, he's - what? - five years older than you? He could be your grandfather."

Zach pushes himself out from under Rose, putting a bit of distance between himself and his sister before he sits up and leans against the wall. He deliberately ignores her question about what the boys at school are saying about her. He doesn't feel like relaying those things. "Emily," he says. "The girl who'll be at the river as well. It's not really a date, just, you know, we're both new and don't know many people yet. And no, I didn't suddenly turn straight. But I can't really ask Freddie out to the dance, now, can I?" He lets out a dreamy sigh. "Or Aaron." Then he freezes and looks at Rose. "You did not hear that last part."

"Shut your pie hole, Steve! I mean it. What do you know about anything? You should mind your own business. And you should talk about what was that's. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look? Your eyes are practically hanging out of your head staring at those girls. If I set you up with someone will you leave me alone then?"

She had no idea how or with whom but it was the only way she could see getting nosey pants brother off her back and minding his own business.