The Casanova's Class Clown

Chap. 36: Update

UPDATE...

Emma rarely ever hung out at the Nerd Hangout. As cool as it was, with the slick robot motif and hi-tech add-ons in every room, she just wasn't that much of a techie.

She was definitely a nerd though, terrible fashion sense, awkward, and all too passionate over one single comic series, but she wasn't the kind of nerd bullies would pick on if the term "bully" ever even registered to the vocabulary of cliques in DDA. In fact, had she enrolled on any other high school, Emma was sure she'd be the person a group of popular kids wouldn't mind hanging out with for the laugh, but the possibility remained that they might do it more at her rather than with her. She was in no way a Sharpay Evans, but neither was she a Gabriella either. She didn't have the fabulous hair for one, or the dazzling smile.

She sighed. She was just plain old Emma, and she guessed she could work with that.

She skipped over a block of brick on the patch, a block closer to her destination, then proceeded like she were any normal obnoxious teenager skipping first period. Decidedly spending such an act of rebelliousness in the Nerd Hangout. She pouted. Who knew she was so lame even when she wasn't trying?

She couldn't suppress a whistle of astonish when she reached her destination.

It was a four-story square building with a prairie house motif, each floor getting smaller in area as it gets higher. The color scheme was white and blue, and she wondered where the official violet calculator insignia of the Academics Department was placed.

On the fourth floor was an enclosed dome that housed the Department's very own observatory. Great for sneaking into when you want to impress a date by being romantic and recalcitrant at the same time. Not so great if your date was a nerd. They follow the Academic Department's rules and regulations like a B.C. Jew follows the Decalogue.

The third floor contained the Department's own collection of books, some written by alumni themselves during their glory days. The second floor composed of dorms, and a wall-to-ceiling window that faced her showed two green couches overlooking the scenery. The first floor was something she never found anywhere even remotely thought of as educational.

A third of the ground floor was a cemented porch that was only elevated by one level, anyone could get in the Department without actually having to go in the Department. Once upon a time in the 80's a wisecrack mod thought it'd be a great addition to the Department if they were to donate eight classic coin-operated video games, with authentic joysticks and longer lasting buttons for infinite smashing. It was a hit in the old days, displayed on the first floor to show DDA's gratitude. There was even a ribbon cutting if Emma remembered right. But now they were just used when kids were bored. The gamers definitely dominate them. Every high score belonged to gamers. The quarters collected were immediately donated to the school fund though, so that's something.

Aside for the arcade games that sat meekly by the walls, flashing 'PLAY ME' on their screens, there was a round table housing ten highly advanced computer monitors lined up in perfect symmetry. The dust hanging over the chairs show they were hardly ever used. Emma wondered about it for a second, then shrugged it off. Why bother using someone else's computer in plain sight when you could just use your own at the comfort of a cushy chair, or maybe even stay in the air-conditioned quarters of the library's own computer collection.

She stepped into the building without actually entering the building, and as expected, no one was around. If you could count on any hangout to be deserted by first bell, it'd be the Academics Department, even if perfect attendance or no tardiness days were rarely looked upon on college applications anymore, the geeks just love to keep a track record, since running on actual tracks were not their forte.