Chapter Text
Exer looked around the classroom from his desk. The place was swiftly filling up with more students, the threat of the tardy bell less than ten minutes away. The students were standing up as well as sitting down with their friends in clumps scattered across the classroom. Some students took this time to read, write, draw, and/or study, but those individuals usually headed to the library to avoid their talkative pupils.
Another group entered, a talkative bunch, of course.
And Exer still didn’t see him.
He turned to his left, where two seats away sits Jackson, who arrived several minutes before he did. Jackson was sorting some things from his backpack, taking out a notebook, a pencil, and an eraser.
Exer decided that now was as good a time as any.
“hey have you seen david”
Jackson glanced up and blanched. “Who?”
Just as Exer opened his mouth to respond, his thoughts blanked. He blinked and shook his head. “... nevermind”
Jackson looked at him weirdly, but fortunately for Exer said nothing to him, and Jackson went to converse with Pamela as she sat on his other side.
A group of popular kids turned up and saw Ken Okamoto already in the class, and the whispering began.
“What happened to his hand?”
“He’s visiting Tokyo?”
“Did you hear about him and Stars?”
It started a couple weeks ago, when Ken decided to make a big announcement about his hatred towards that fuckwad. Then people started making jokes. Jokes lead to deeper gossip. Gossip lead to drama.
And drama lead to more hatred towards her.
At least his grudge against Stars was justified. He never even did anything to Stars before then!
Ken sighed and went to the back of the class, avoiding the gossipers and sitting himself in the middle of Jackson and Exer, sandwiching Jackson in between himself and Pamela. His brain hurt from thinking of the seating arrangement (and Stars), so he tried to stop thinking all together, although when has that method ever worked?
Things were quiet for a few minutes before Jackson’s curiosity got the better of him.
“What’s up with your hand?” Jackson gestured to Ken’s left hand, wrapped in white cloth.
Ken looked at it, as if he was seeing it for the first time.
“Oh, I broke it,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “But now I’m pissed ‘cause I can’t draw jacksh!t—no offense, Jack,”
Pamela overheard and—not so subtly—covered up a snort as a cough.
Jackson glanced from Ken and Pamela, right to left, with a suspicious eyebrow raised.
“C’mon, Jackie Wackie, don’t be mad, I said no offense. And you know that Kenela thing was obviously a joke-” Ken laughed.
“I know, I know. And don’t call me that, ” Jackson started.
Exer leaned in and questioned, “why are you guys talking about oil-”
“I said Kenela , Exer, not canola ,” Ken exasperated.
Before he could berate Exer for his poor attention skills, a tickling whisper in Ken’s ear startled him, “ Boo !”
“AH–!” Ken jumped out of his seat, nearly knocking Jackson down with him, when he saw his attacker. “Seriously , Brenda!?”
She answered with something resembling a witch’s cackle.
“God, you terrify me,” Ken said.
The others joined in on the laughter. Brenda’s wiping a tear from her eye as she sat in the row before them.
“This is bullyism.” Ken muttered, but sat back down anyway.
When’s the class starting? Save me, teacher. Teacher, save me,
he thought to himself.
“Hey, gang!” Jolie strutted in and plopped herself down by Brenda.
“Hey,” everyone responded, except Ken, who pointedly looked away.
“Ken, ya bimbo, are you still not talking to me?” Jolie turned to confront him, a sassy look plastered on her face.
He looked in front, but not at Jolie, “Brenda, tell your girlfriend I’m still not talking to her.”
“Okay,” She tapped Jolie’s shoulder. “Jo, Ken’s still not talking to you,”
Ken lowered his voice and his gaze finally fell onto Jolie, “Wait, are you guys actually dating?”
“No, but if it’ll get you to date Stars, then yes,” Jolie retorted..
Ken makes a motion like he’s strangling her.
“Speak of the Devil,” Jackson pointed to a group of kids standing several rows away from them.
Stars was there, gossiping with other students—Kitty, Ado, the two Ashes, Ken remembers their names, along with a few others, and . . . is that Ronald?
Ken frowned at the sight.
Traitor .
“guys im lost why do ken and stars hate each other??” Exer questioned.
“Oh, I’ll TELL YOU WHY–!” Ken began..
“Aaand here we go,” Jackson face planted onto his desk.
“–She mailed my FIFTY-TWO letters saying the SAME FRICKING THING!” He continued.
“Okay, class, settle down,” The teacher walked into the room, “The bell’s going to ring soon, take your seats,” she droned on.
Ken bit his tongue and backed off, he tore his gaze from the group and tried to focus on the teacher.
The teacher repeated herself, “Sit down, everybody.”
Unfortunately for Ken, Stars planned to take her seat next to Pamela.Three seats away from Ken. Far, but not far enough.
Stars fist bumped and high fived people on her way there.
God, she must have such a big ego.
She continued this until she reached Ken. They simultaneously gave each other the middle finger, then Stars arrived at her destination.
Once she sat down, a lightbulb went off in Ken’s mind.
“Yo, Stars,” He was pretty aware of everyone in the friend group staring at them.
“What do you want, Kenneth ?”
Ooh, got her.
He chose to ignore the white-boy name he got called.
“Just had a question. What are your thoughts on Zair–?”
“ EFF YOU, KENNETH!! ” She gave him a double middle finger.
They glared at each other, neither wanting to be the one to give in and back away first, to be the loser.
Ronald and Timothy sat themselves near the front, unaware of the commotion, but Pamela, Jackson, Brenda, and Jolie looked from Ken to Stars, like in a tennis match, but with piercing daggers being shot rather than tennis balls.
Exer snapped to get their attention, “sorry to interrupt whatever this is but who the fuck is zair??”