The Squad Effect

Chapter 2 | Meet & Greet

Edited

We made our way out to the Quad, shielding our eyes from the bright orange glow of the setting sun. The first thing that I noticed was the table where student council members were handing out pizza to all of the attendees of the meet & greet.

My friends and I immediately rushed the food table, eager to get some food into our systems. After getting our food and searching for a place to sit down, we decide on a big table that was half in the sun and half in the shadow of the school. There was enough room for all of us on one side, so we crowded on the warm sunny side of the mint green stone table.

"Anyone got a sharpie?" Taylor asks. Aaron nodded before rolling a permanent marker down to where Taylor was sitting r. Taylor popped off the cap and began to scribble all of our initials onto the side of the table. "Now it's ours." He chuckled, seeming very proud of himself.

"Thanks Tay." Everyone replied cynically. We all promptly went back to scarfing down our pizza.

"I'm going to go get a drink." I state while standing up.

"Get me one!" The entire table says in unison. I laughed and walk over to the student council table that was in charge of the cooler. I let the members know that I was collecting soda for my entire table before grabbing four Coca-cola's. I was about to reach for the last Coke Zero when pale hand grabs it and takes it away. I looked up from the cooler to our favorite new neighbor from across the hall. 

"I was going to take that." I informed Nash, while eyeing the Coke Zero in his hand.

"So, was I. Better luck next time." He rolled his eyes.

"Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" I asked semi-lightheartedly, trying to keep any conflict he was itching to start at bay. 

"Real mature." Nash scoffed before walking away, seeming irritated without reason.

"You know you could've just asked!" I called after him. He stuck up his middle finger as he continued back to his table. "Kids these days. You never know what they're thinking." I mused to the two female student council members at the drink table. They giggled at my anecdote as I dug into the cooler to grab a cherry coke that had caught my eye. I waved charmingly to the two girls before heading back to my table. I passed out all of the cokes and found my vision lingering on Nash's table. They had positioned the Coke Zero in a place where they knew I would be able to see it, untouched. "Ugh, that guy is a nightmare." I sighed while running my hands through my hair.

"Who?" Carter asks while opening his Coke and looking around at all the other groups.

"The leader of the greasers, Nash. He's over there sitting with the other vampires in the corner." I say while gesturing over to them. They were sitting at a table that was completely engulfed in the shadow of the school, conversing almost rigidly with each other. Once Carter found where I was looking, a smile crept onto his face. He turned his body to face the greaser table and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"You gotta fat ass, Matt!" He yelled shamelessly across the quad. "That should liven up their conversation." Carter whispered to the rest of us. I couldn't help but laugh along with other guys after that. 

Matt turned around slowly to flip off Carter. Carter smiled and waved politely. The greaser cringed before turning back around. Carter seemed pleasantly satisfied and turned around to face us again. I kept my eyes on the greasers for a little longer, chuckling at how much more lively the conversation looked. It seemed that Matthew talked a lot with his hands, so we could tell he wasn't too happy with Carter's statement because his hands were going crazy. 

"So, is this your new hobby for the year?" Aaron asked Carter.

"Most likely. Matt's sexy when he's annoyed." His response causes another round of laughter to wash over our group.

*

My friends and I entered the far end of the hallway that led to all of our dorms. We were cracking jokes, doing impressions and basically anything we could to extend the night. I was tired but lord knows that I would rather jump off a bridge than leave my friends. Who goes to bed at 9:30pm anyways?

As we were passing the double glass doors that were closest to our rooms, we heard the sound of people talking in the distance. I could've been wrong but it sounded like Nash ranting about something or other. I gathered the boys around the glass doors that led out to the Quad and ordered them to push up against it, forming an impenetrable wall. 

"Our little welcome wagon was less than satisfactory. I think we should let the greasers know that we're not backing down, so they might as well give up, just like the drama geeks." I smiled maliciously, crossing my arms in front of the door.

Nash, Shawn, Matthew and two other greasers walked onto the path that lead to the doors, their expressions becoming angry once they had realized that we were at an impasse. Nash tried to push the glass doors, but they didn't even budge with my guys holding them in place.

"Hi Nash!" I greeted him politely.

"If you think you're some type of genius because you and your fellow meatheads stood behind a door, you need a reality check. There are two other entrances, dumb ass." Nash scowled, closing his eyes into thin judging slits.

"Well, the east door is locked because maintenance locks it after nine o'clock and the west door is open but it's a direct route for us to go and block it. So, it seems to me that you're stuck. I don't know if you noticed but, you haven't been very nice to me, so all I ask is that you ask politely to come inside." I replied, a smile finding its way onto my face.

"You're out of luck. They're straight. Even if they weren't, they'd never go for you or your douche-y squad members." Nash says while looking at the two other boys.

"Fuck you!" He rolled his eyes while shaking the doors by their handles.

"Is that any way to talk to the person who controls whether or not you get inside?" I asked rhetorically. Nash exhaled loudly in frustration. He ran his fingers through his hair, seeming like he was wracking his brain for an idea. I noticed that Shawn had begun to rub his eyes with his forearm, which made me feel slightly bad but I knew that if I stood down, they would never take me seriously.

Shockingly enough, Matthew steps forward.

"Carter," Matt began, "if you call your dogs off then... I'll give you permission to grab my ass."

"For how long?" Carter asked quickly.

"Two minutes." Matt sighed. 

"Deal." Carter replied before looking at the rest of us. "Help a brother out." Was all he needed to say to convince the rest of us to move. I sighed, wishing that the encounter had gone better, but I would never get in the way of one of my friends possibly getting laid.

Matt pushes the glass doors open and walks past Carter, gesturing for him to follow along. As Nash walked past me, he shot me a dirty look.

"Matt's straight. Once your friend gets back to their room, he's not getting anything." He whispered spitefully. Taylor and I followed closely behind Nash and Shawn as they headed to their dorm room.

We muttered a quick goodnight to our friends as they passed us in the hallway. 

"Goodnight, neighbors." I taunted Nash from across the hallway as he hurried to unlock his door and get away from me. Shawn turned and looked past me into my room before rolling his eyes and turning back to his own door.

Once I finally stepped back inside Taylor and I's room, I slammed the door for good measure, hoping to annoy Nash one last time before the night was over.

~

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