*Ding Dong!*
"Hello Amy's mom. Is Amy ready yet?"
"No she's not, come on in, I made breakfast."
"Oh food!" JC sprinted to the kitchen and grabbed a banana.
"Would you like some orange juice?"
"Sure." He finished his banana and threw his peel into the trash can.
"Toast?"
"Cinnamon?"
"Anything you want."
"OK." Amy's mom began to make the toast then Amy came downstairs.
"JC, don't eat all of our food."
"I was hungry." He whined.
"Come on." She pulled on his arm and walked out the door. They walked down the walkway leading back to JC's car. He started it up and they were on their way to school.
"Do you know what Chris did yesterday?" Amy started conversation.
"No, what did he do?"
"He was so rude to Kristen just because she broke up with Joey."
"I could understand that."
"You could?"
"Yeah it's like a law..."
"Oh here we go again."
"You can't really be nice to a girl who breaks up with your friend. I would expect the guys to be rude to you if you broke up with me."
"Oh you would, would you?"
"Yeah it's the right of passage for guys. It's just something we've always done."
"Why does it have to be like that?"
"I don't know it's just is."
"Well you're going to be nice to her."
"What? I can't do that I have to be rude."
"She's my best friend."
"Ok fine, but the guys are not going to like this."
"Think of it this way you'll be the first to break the right of passage. Everyone will look at you as a hero, someone to step outside of the norm."
"They'll look at me as a fool. They'll all make fun of me."
"That's ok as long they don't make fun of Kristen."
"Screw Kristen!"
"What did you say?"
"I meant, you don't care if they make fun of me, but heaven forbid they make fun of Kristen."
"But she's my best friend."
"But I'm your boyfriend, and Joey is my best friend."
"You're just being selfish now."
"Me? I'm being selfish I'm going to be rude Kristen."
"Fine!"
"Fine!" They rode the rest of the way in silence.
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"Look!" Jenny said pointing to a poster on the wall. "The Annual Welcome Back Dance. We're going right Lance?"
"Of course."
"Amy, you and JC are going to go?"
"No I don't think we will."
"Why?"
"We had a fight this morning."
"Good, someone can stay home with me." Kristen said.
"Well what happened Amy?" Jenny was concerned.
"Nothing I don't want to talk about it." She left in huff.
"I'll go see if she's ok." Kristen ran off too.
"You know what we gotta do Lance?"
"Um no."
"We gotta get em back together. It's our new school year resolution. It's a tradition."
"This is our first one isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but all traditions start somewhere."
"Ok fine we'll get em back together."
"I just don't want them to end up like Kristen and Joey."
"I said we'll do it."
"Ok."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, big dance coming up huh?" Joey asked Haley.
"Yeah so?"
"Soo aren't ya going to ask Chris to go with ya?"
"I was actually thinking about it then decided no."
"Why not? I thought you wanted him."
"I did, but I have all year to get him. I'm planning out my strategies. It's the second day."
"Oh see I thought you'd want to get it over with and enjoy him all year."
"No, that's silly."
"I think it makes perfect sense."
"I just don't want to get rejected."
"Oh so you'll wait til the end of year to get rejected and then you'll think about it all summer and you won't see him again. That's a good plan."
"Well maybe I will ask him."
"And if he turns you down, which by the way would be really stupid, you can always go with me."
"Ok thanks. I'll ask him though."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Justin and Paige scanned the cafeteria looking for JC.
"Look there he is." Justin noticed him.
"What's he doing."
"It looks as if he's poking his corn dog with the stick."
"He looks sad."
"Are we just going to stand here all day and talk about him or are we going to go sit down?" They walked over to the table and sat down next to him. JC didn't even notice them.
"Ya gonna eat that?" Justin asked. JC looked up from his work.
"Oh this is Amy I'm knocking some sense into her."
"What did she do?"
"She wanted me, me to be nice to Kristen."
"You told her about the right of passage right?" Justin asked.
"Of course she didn't understand it."
"What's the right of passage?" Paige asked.
"What's with you girls, don't you know anything?" JC yelled.
"It's like a law. You have to be mean to any girl that dumps your friend. Come on Paige, you got three brothers, you don't know that?"
"No, but I'm going to ask them about just to make sure you're not making this up. Let's talk about something else like Justin are you taking me to the dance?"
"Is it on a Friday?"
"Yeah."
"Ok I'm free."
"You're always free on Fridays."
"No I'm not I'm always out with you."
"Well I'm your girlfriend of course you're always out with me."
"You're not my girlfriend you're just someone who I happen to see every Friday, who happens to be my friend, and happens to be girl I can't call you my girlfriend."
"Why not?"
"Cause if I do I'll end up as pitiful as Pokey Joe right here." He patted JC's shoulder.
"Thanks buddy." Paige just rolled her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haley trudged into the lunch room and slammed her sack on the table.
"Gee Hal, you're angry."
"Shut up!" She took her seat next to Joey.
"So I guess it didn't go well?" Joey asked.
"Well? Terrible is more like it. He laughed at me."
"I'm sorry. Hey but I at least I have a date now." Haley looked at him before opening her sack.
"Oh great my grapes got smashed." She pulled out a small ziplock bag full of smashed up grapes. "Can this day get any worse?" She openned her can of pop. It fizzled and then spilt on the table.
"Sure looks like it." Joey laughed.
"You're so mean." Jenny scolded him.
"She knows it's all in good fun."
"I do but it's not a good time right now."
"I'm sorry."
"I just don't know why he turned me down."
"Boy someone thinks a lot of themselves."
"Lance?!" Jenny yelled.
"I was kidding too geez Jenny take everyone so serious."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey jogged down the hall and through the cafeteria. He walked into the counsler's office and delievered a note to the secretary then quickly left. He was on his way back taking his time talking to anyone he saw on the way.
"Hey Joey!" Chris yelled through the noise of the lunch time crowd. He walked over to where he was sitting with Kristen and Amy.
"Hey Chris." He sits next to him.
"Don't ya have to get back to class?"
"It's Art, I can afford to miss it."
"You can't afford to miss any time in any class." Kristen insulted.
"Ouch get me where it hurts my painting skills."
"Like with finger paint?"
"No Chris, this is a serious class."
"Huh? A serious class gee I would've thought you still be stuck in those 6th grade classes you've yet to be able to pass."
"You know what I'm trying to have a conversation with my friend. Can you keep your mouth shut for one second? Oh wait who am I talking too, yeah that's right it's Kristen, she can't."
"You just shut up."
"Oh score. Anyways Chris what's wrong with you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You turned down Haley when she asked you to the dance."
"She never asked me."
"Huh? So that's was just an act. She must have really wanted to go with me."
"Why would anyone want to go with you?"
"You did for two years."
"Oh so a girl makes a mistake and now you're throwing it back in her face."
"Will you two shut up I'm sick of all this fighting."
"Shut up Amy."
"Well I'm sorry I defended you this morning."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sorry you did too."
"Girls, girls, girls must we have all this fighting over silly nonsence."
"Yeah let's get back to Joey and my conversation. So she wanted to ask me?"
"Yeah, but obviously chickened out."
"Hmm intresting I kinda wish she would have."
"You mean you would've gone with her?" Then a hand was put on Joey's shoulder. He turned his head and saw the tall woman hoovering over him.
"Joseph what are you doing out here?"
"I was just observing art in it's most natural form.
"Oh get back to class."
"Yes ma'm."
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