^^^^^^

Lance chased after the departing bus. Luckily it stopped and let him in. He sat down next to Chris, completely out of breath.
"Man, what happened to you?"
"I slept in. I stayed up late last night trying to program my new game into my computer."
"Oh that can be tricky."
"Hey guys." Lisa sat down across from them.
"Hey Lise. How was your summer?"
"Great, I spent 3 weeks at space camp."
"Neat, I went to a math convention in Idaho. What did you do Lance?"
"I spent a month in Spain on a foreign exchange program."
"Really, you got in the program?"
"Yeah, it was fun, I got to practice my Spanish. I found out I'm still a little rusty though." Just then Joey and Mackenzie walked on the bus. Joey shoved everyone's head as he passed by down the aisle. Mack put her cigarette out on Lance's book and then dropped it in his hair.
"Oh, Lance you got a little something in your hair." Lisa noticed.
"I know that, Why do they think they can pick on everyone?"
"I know, isn't he great?"
"Hello, Earth to Lisa are you still spacey from camp? That's Joey 'the bone' Fatone." Chris informed her.
"Yeah so?"
"He's like 15 and still in the seventh grade."
"He's rebellious and I like it."
"Didn't you see what he did to Lance?"
"He didn't do anything to Lance. Mackenzie did."
"That's not the point. There three types of people in this school. There's us, the brains. The popular jocks, like JC and Justin, and then there's the bad kids like Joey. They can't intermix."
"Yeah it's like when you try and mix calcium carbonate, hydrogen peroxide, and sulfuric acid. I mean we all know what happens when you do that." Lance added they all nodded their heads.
"Well, maybe I can change him."
"He's 15, you're 12."
"I'm 13."
"When did you turn 13?"
"I don't know, maybe when you didn't show up to my birthday party."
"Oh, see we were gonna go, but we got held up at the library. We were researching...."
"The sound barrier there's a lot of sketchy stuff in that."
"I've heard the sound barrier excuse too many times. You were the only ones I invited."
"You must have looked liked a loser when we didn't show up."
"That's right I looked like a loser. It hurt me. I thought you were my friends."
"We are your friends and we'll never do it again."
"Yeah never."
"Do you mean that."
"Is the square root of 2518569, 1587?"
"I think it just might be."
"You know what that reminded me of?"
"What's that Lance?"
"Who wants to play square roots?"
"I do!" Chris shouted.
"Lance, you always know how to cheer me up you're so sweet."
"Well, I wouldn't say that." Lance blushed.
"I'll go first. Chris what is the square root of 403225?"
"635. Come on Lisa. OK Lance, 5487209?"
"2547."
"Square roots is too easy. We need to come up with a new game."
"Like laws of exponents."
"That's good, I officially crown Lance king of making up games."
"You would be my queen."
"What about me?"
"Chris you are definitely the court jester."
"Neato." The bus pulled up to the school. Joey sat Mack sat in the back seat smoking.
"I'm gonna go talk to him."
"It's your funeral."
"Yeah which I hope you guys will come instead of being caught up in the sound barrier."
"Hey, we said we were sorry bout that."
"Yeah don't you remember, is the square root of 2518569, 1587?"
"I think it just might be."
"Guys just leave me alone and let me go talk to him."
"Fine, we're not stopping you." She walked back to them and got choked up as soon as she got in the vicinity.
"Hey look it's an amateur."
"What do you want?" He said rudely.
"I um ... this really hard to say."
"Spit it out you're wasting my time, brain."
"She has a name."
"Yeah, right Lucy, you're wasting my time."
"It's actually Lisa."
"Lisa, Lucy what's the difference you're both wasting my time. Now get out of my way or am I gonna have to make ya?"
"You would hit a girl?"
"No, I'm a gentleman, I don't make it a point to hit girls." He snapped his fingers. "Mack." She walked up to Lisa and shoved her aside. The two then walked by her and Mack once again pushed her down. They had a good laugh at Lisa's expense.

^^^Meanwhile^^^

"Why can't you just tell her?" Chris asked.
"You don't just tell your friend you like them."
"I like you."
"That's not funny."
"OK, so she likes these rebel guys so be a rebel."
"How?"
"I don't know, don't turn in your homework." Lance covered his mouth and gasped.
"Ahh, how could you even think of such a thing. I didn't know you had such a criminal mind."
"I don't know, I'm just saying."
"Well, I can be a rebel. See look. Get out of my way Chris!" He pushed him a little.
"Not me."
"Oh OK." Joey and Mackenzie stepped off the bus.
"There's your chance."
"OK, I'm gonna do it." He walked up to them. "Hey bone, why don't you get out of my way." He turned around and glared down at Lance.
"What do we got here?" He snapped his fingers. "Mack."
"What you can't do it yourself you got to get a little girl to beat me up?"
"Listen you little...."
"Mack, calm down don't get all angry. I'm just gonna explain to him why you will be doing the honors and not me. See I don't want to go breaking my wrist on your face or nothing and plus you look a little dainty and I let Mack handle all the girls." Mack started to walk towards him pounding her fists together.
"I gotta get going, you know this wasn't really on my itinerary. So I'll just be on my way and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened."
"OK, I'll let you walk this one time, but if you ever and I mean like forever ever talk to me like that again. You'll wish you never been born. Come on Mack we don't want to waste our time on this." The two walked away just as Lisa came out of the bus.
"What happened to you?" She noticed his flushed face.
"I just stood up to Joey."
"Joey 'the bone'?" She started to laugh.
"What?"
"Oh come on you don't expect me to believe that?"
"Yeah I do, anyway what happened to you on the bus?"
"Oh, he totally blew me off, but that doesn't matter the challenge makes me like him even more."
"Shhhh." Chris hissed.
"What?"
"It's Stephanie."
"Oh brother."
"Hey, I've listen to you ramble on and on about Joey this morning and I've heard your story, so let me have my time." He once again looked dreamingly at Stephanie as she walked over to JC. Quickly his smiled turned to a frown.
"Why don't you say hi to her." Lisa suggested.
"You're kidding right?"
"No, I'm not, look she's standing by the bench by the trash can. Go over and throw something away and just say hi."
"I could do that."
"Yeah, so go do it."
"OK, I need some trash." He grabbed Lance's pencil.
"Hey, that's my pencil."
"So what, I need it to get the woman of my dreams. Wish me good luck."
"Good luck." They both said.
"Wish it." He took a deep breath and walked over to the trash can and tossed the pencil in it. "Oh hi Stephanie, I didn't even know you were there."
"Hi Chris." She smiled.
"You know my name?"
"We had math together last year, you sat in the corner all by yourself. You could have come over and sat by me."
"I could have?"
"Of course, anytime you want." The bell rang.
"I gotta go."
"OK, I'll see you later." Chris walked away.
"What are you doing?" She looked down at JC who was on the bench.
"What?"
"Talking to that guy?"
"I was just having a friendly conversation with Chris."
"Chris, you now on a first name basis with dorks."
"He's a nice guy, why can't I talk to him?"
"Steph, we are the superiors to them. They are the lowest form of life in this school."
"JC, that's mean."
"But it's true, you don't intermingle with the people of the lower class or you might as well be in it yourself."
"That's awful he's no different from you or me."
"Yes he is we are popular and he is not."
"Let's just go to class." JC got up off the bench and the two walked to class together.

^^^^^^

Chris sat in the math classroom waiting for school to start. He was arranging his perfectly sharpened number 2 pencils when Stephanie walked in.
"Ah Stephanie, yes!" He said quietly to himself then JC walked in after her. "Oh no no no." Stephanie scanned the room and spotted Chris she walked over to him.
"Hi Chris."
"You remember me?"
"Yeah, is this seat taken?"
"No, you can sit there."
"Thanks." She sat down. "Hey JC! I found us a spot." JC walked over to her.
"Stephanie, there's a geek sitting in my chair."
"JC, you're sitting over here I want to sit by Chris."
"You want to sit by Chris or do you have to sit by Chris?"
"I want to sit by Chris."
"I can just move." Chris offered.
"That's the best idea I've heard all day." JC said as Chris got out of his desk and went to find another seat. JC sat down in the now vacant seat.
"I don't know what it is, but all of a sudden the air just got a whole lot more popular." Chris walked over to the seat in the corner. He had been used to sitting in the corners so it was no big deal. He glanced over at Stephanie who was now talking with JC. She caught his gaze and she mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. Chris just turned away and Stephanie continued her conversation with JC.