^^^^^^

Lance walked into the English class. Joey wasn't there yet so he took a seat in the front row. Right before the bell rang Joey rushed in and took the very last seat in Lance's row. He turned around to the girl sitting behind him.
"Hi, could you pass this note to the back?"
"Could I?"
"Will you?"
"I guess so." She took it from him and passed it over her shoulder, it finally got back to Joey. He opened it up and read the words inside.
"Guess who likes you." He read slowly still at his 5th grade reading level. He looked up at the front and Lance faced him waving to him.

^^^After class^^^

"Was that suppose to be funny?" Joey shoved him up against the lockers.
"I don't know what did it say?"
"I think you know what it said. I thought I warned you about bothering me. Were your ears not open?"
"No I heard you."
"Then are you just stupid?"
"I'm not stupid."
"I think you are. Mack. Take this thing and deal with it outside." He handed Lance to her.
"With pleasure." By now the crowd had cleared and Lisa walked up to Joey.
"Lance didn't write the note I did."
"Huh?"
"Guess who likes you." She smiled at him.
"OK, let me guess." He thought for a moment. "I don't know, I can't think of anyone."
"Me."
"You? You're that dork from the bus. Laura right?"
"Lisa."
"I've never really been good with names."
"Really?"
"Nah, I just know my friends', but you're not my friend."
"Oh, I was wondering if you wanted to be my partner for the science fair?"
"I don't do dork conventions."
"All you gotta do is smoke and let me research the side effects of teen smoking."
"So I get points for smoking. I could get out of here for smoking. It's kinda tempting I don't wanna spend a fourth year here. I guess I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun Leslie."
"Lisa."
"Right, I'll remember that, since you're a friend now." He walked off to check on Mack and Lance.

^^^^^^

"Hey Chris." Lisa sat down on the bench next to Chris.
"Hi Lisa."
"You are never gonna believe what happened."
"What?"
"Joey called me his friend."
"Sure he did."
"No really he did and we're gonna do the science fair together."
"Sure you are." Joey walked up to them.
"Hey Lisa?"
"Right."
"My harley got out of the shop during lunch can I give you a ride home?"
"Me?"
"Well I normally take Mack but she's got detention for beating up some dork. So you wanna ride?"
"It's a harley."
"Yeah, you can have my helmet, ya know safety first."
"OK. Bye Chris." She ran off and jumped on the back of Joey's harley.
"Chicks dig the harley, maybe that's what I need to get Stephanie."
"Hi."
"Hey Stephanie."
"I wanted to apologize about the science fair I really wanted to do it with you."
"Then why didn't you?"
"JC said I had to do it with him."
"Oh."
"But get this." She sat down next to him. "After you left we decided on what we were gonna do for our project. I picked the effects of global warming on the rain forest and you know what he said?"
"Wait let me guess. Something like it's gotta be good no one likes to be cold."
"Yes."
"Common misconception."
"I really wish you were my partner. JC is not very smart when it comes to science, sure he could tell you everything you wanted to know about basketball, football, baseball, soccer, hockey, the track and field, even race car driving, ya know like sports is his bag."
"Oh, his bag?" Chris was confused.
"Ya know his thing?"
"I knew what it meant."
"Hey Steph we gotta go Katie's getting impatient." JC came over.
"Why don't you go without me I'm gonna ride the bus?"
"Ah cool field trip I'll come too." He ran off to tell Katie.
"Sorry, I guess I'll have to sit with JC instead of you."
"Oh well you can sit across from us and JC can look out the window."
"You're cute, but he wouldn't allow that."
"I see he's one of those."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Come on it's obvious."
"What's so obvious?"
"He's totally in control, it's cause he's such a loser he doesn't have a life of his own he takes over yours."
"Really?"
"OK, where's this bus?" JC said excited for a new experience.
"JC, I think we'll walk home. I don't know, but all of a sudden the air just got a whole lot dorkier." She got up from the bench and the two started to walk home together.
"What just happened here?"
"I don't know." Lance sat down next to him.
"Hey, hey what happened to you?"
"Mack, beat me up." Chris started to laugh. "It's not funny she's 14 and she's got a killer right hook. Where's Lisa?"
"Oh, she got a ride home with Joey on his harley."
"You're kidding me right?"
"I wish. We are so pathetic."
"Not you man, you're getting somewhere with Stephanie. My girl is off riding 'the bone's' harley."
"I was getting somewhere."
"What did you do?"
"I don't know, we were just talking about global warming, JC's bag, she was gonna ride the bus home with me, and he's all like oh field trip, then he leaves and I say JC's just a loser and is taking her life cause he ain't got one of his own, and then she got mad and left."
"And you don't know why she would do this?"
"No clue."
"Think about it. You're boyfriend is a loser he has no life. Now do you know why she did it?"
"I'm so stupid."
"You are pathetic."
"I had it, I was this close."
"Well, it's the first day of school did you really expect everything to happen now? It's a long year."
"I guess you're right. Do you wanna come over to my house and we can work on our science project?"
"Yeah, no reason to procrastinate."
"So what do you want to do?"
"I don't know, but I want to beat Lisa and Joey."
"Yeah, and JC and Stephanie. So it's gotta be better than global warming."
"How bout we make solar powered car and conserve engery and save the ozone layer?"
"Lance, we're 12 years old how are we gonna make a car?"
"Geez, it was just a suggestion. You got a better idea?"
"I don't know, quantum physics?"
"Yeah, that would be neat, but what if we got stuck back in time. That wouldn't be cool."
"Animal behavior?"
"That's good, we could get two lab rats and feed one junk food and one healthy rat crap."
"Then, we can record the behavior of each diet."
"And win first prize."
"My dad can get the rats from his work."
"So now do I need to come over?"
"We can play the new game I just installed. 'Gatekeeper!' Lisa was gonna play but we know what happened to her. So you game?"
"I'm always game for a good round of 'Gatekeeper'."
"I found the secret entrance for the sorcerer's cabinet."
"I've been trying for six months and you get after one week."
"What can I say, I'm good at 'Gatekeeper'."
"Well, we'll see about that."

^^^^^^

"So this is your house?" Joey asked as he parked his motorcycle.
"Yep."
"It's big."
"Yeah, you wanna come in for like a snack or something?"
"Food is cool." He took the helmet from Lisa and rested it on the handle bars. They walked into her house together. Lisa opened the door slowly making sure her mom wasn't home. When she knew it was safe she brought him in.
"Come on in. Make yourself comfortable." He took off his leather jacket and threw it on the couch. "What can I get you?"
"I don't know what do you got?"
"Chips, cookies, ice cream?"
"OK." She went into the pantry and got out a package of oreos.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"Got any beer?"
"No, is pepsi all right?"
"Yeah that's good, I need to cut down anyway." She took the cookies and two cans of pepsi and went over and sat with him on the floor in front of the tv.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you start smoking anyway? Don't you know it's bad?"
"Yeah, I know. It's just I got hooked when I was 11. My dad would always leave his out and one day I just started."
"Doesn't your mom care?"
"I don't got a mom."
"Well, sure you do everyone has a mom."
"Yeah, but mine left when I was about 2. I don't know much about her, but my dad says she some jailbait who probably lives Arkansas by now and that we do all right for ourselves. He could've been drunk when he said that though."
"Is your dad a good dad?"
"I don't know, he's never really there. If he's not at the shop then he's off at Moe's having a beer with his buddies. He's never really around to do a good job."
"I'm sorry."
"It's OK, why am I telling you this anyway?" He got up. "Man I need a smoke."
"Instead of researching the side effects of teen smoking, why don't we do the side effects of quiting smoking?"
"I don't know I don't think I can."
"Of course you can I'll be helping."
"Nah, my friends will make fun of me."
"I won't."
"I don't know, will I get like the patch or something."
"No, straight cold turkey."
"It's worth a shot. Maybe I could quit drinking too?"
"We could do that."
"Oh hey I gotta get going, gotta hang out with Mack tonight."
"You sure like Mack."
"She's my best friend." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the front door. "Hey I'm sorry bout this morning on the bus. It was the first day of school. I was in a bad mood and sorry bout Mack beating up your friend."
"It's OK, he had it coming."
"I'll see you around and you're pretty cool for a brain." He walked out of the house and she closed the door behind him.