Deception Through A Nerd

chapter two | | meek is the new black

There were countless other problems to try to invade while still calculating the data given. The mere thought of it made me shrink down in my seat, trying my best to appear as small that was given possible. Was I ready to become a target?

The world simply wasn't going to battle itself.

***

During lunch time, I had conjured a plan to sit in the cafeteria farthest in the corner, but close enough to observe the system here. There appeared to be a particular way this school was run, with some of the jocks cutting in line, or acting over friendly with everyone they communicated with. 

However, my scheme fell short when Mia quickly ushered me out of the cafeteria after buying what seemed to be some sort of fish burger with lots of healthy greens. 

"Where are we going?" I stammered, wanting nothing more than to go back and start jolting some essential notes. 

"Eating inside the cafeteria isn't really fun nor interesting. You should join my friend Ingrid and I outside," she replied while pushing open the doors and dragging me into the chilly air of September. 

The sun rays weren't nearly as sweltering as the days before, but I still wasn't a complete fan of being baked outside like a pile of cookies.

There were a few round wooden tables attached to some matching benches. There was nothing spectacular with the set up, more like a typical thing you could see at a park or something.

A huge field lined with silver metal gates lay quite a distance away from us. I could make out some voices and laughter. 

I pray to god that we weren't in the middle of heading towards there.

"That's my friend." Mia nudged me gently in the side before pointing to a lone girl sitting at an empty table; there was a variety of snacks and items laid on the surface in front of her. She appeared to be in the middle of analyzing the contents in a water bottle.

"There's more ingredients in here than I originally suspected," the girl announced loudly, before gazing up at us. Her flickering dark brown, almost black, eyes locked with mine.

"Ingrid, meet Cassidy, she's in my AP English class," Mia explained, taking note of Ingrid's mystified expression lightly. 

She was awarded with a curt nod of acknowledgement. 

I sat down across from the pair in an awkward movement. I was quite befuddled on how should I act around the pair, if I were too quiet, would I end up boring themselves? 

"So are you all here besotted with the environment or something?" I blurt out in an inquiring tone, before evidently wincing out my fatal mistake. Abort mission! 

Maybe I should just remain silent for the rest of my time here. But I didn't want anyone to think I was coming off as stalkerish with my observations. . . I mean it was one thing to be gathering information and another to be downright staring.

I was coming off way too compelling and forceful when I was supposed to be, Cassidy Winters, the feeble and meek as a new born lamb type of girl. 

I fucking knew I should have went full out goth with all black attire. I think I could pull off an intense personality, not this quiet phase. I inwardly groaned in despair.

"Err," Mia throws a side glance to Ingrid who proceeds to stare at me in an overly wary manner, "well, it's just the town regulations. We just grew up with it."

I nod in vehement agreement. Please please think I'm still a hushed girl. I am reserved but I can't handle this façade involving suppressing words and emotions for good grief.

"I'm kinda going to cut the crap and be honest with you," Ingrid quipped, and I utterly freeze in my seat. Wow, is this what it feels like to be caught out on a lie? This must be how criminals feel before the police and authorities brutally crush their dreams of escape. 

"Don't do any fake shit with us, because been there done that. If you're unpleasant to be around then show it off. It'll be a better package then the glitter jazz over some sick black box of malice." 

"Ingrid! Don't scare her so soon," Mia splutters, shooting an apologetic look in my direction while glaring at Ingrid, before composing herself and settling for a gentler voice. "What she means to say is, please be yourself with us. We've just been in some. . . well. . . troublesome positions and we really wouldn't want to relive that."

There's a drop of silence that courses through the table, a faint breeze slowly flying by in the wisps of autumn. A cloud of hesitancy fogs up my mind; would it truly be a good motive to chat with these girls? 

Well. . . if worst comes to worst, I could always drop and lurk in the girl's change room to gather more information. Plus they might have some insiders information that I could dig out.

"I understand," I reply in a firm voice, while pausing to look at both of them in the eye, "I'm not going to do that, but can I ask what happened?"

There seemed to be a glint of surprise that ran through them; it probably came with the expectation that I wasn't going to speak.

While, Ingrid seemed to the blunt and straight to the point honest one in their duo, I had a slinking suspicion that she may actually spill the details. Of course that was before a flash of white soared into the sky and headed specifically in our direction.

Or precisely at me, which proceeded to knock me straight in the side of my head. A flicker of stars dotted my vision and I was on the verge of seething with vexation.

"Hell, that hurts." I clutched my head while another wave of pain wormed it's way up my nerves. 

There was a faint sound of chuckles echoing from the field, and I think I heard a high pitched tone of a girl shortly yelling 'sorry' before a demand for asking their volley ball back came.

"It's a warzone," I cursed, "you guys are not normal here."

Mia smiles in a rueful manner before shaking her head. "It's just practice season for the volleyball players and most of them like the nets outside. The weather won't be that nice for very long."

"I think Hell has come to take me again," I grunted. 

Ingrid starts outrageously howling in laughter. "You've got humour, we're going to keeping you."

***

Factor Number One: power grants status, which grants the attention of others. 

Evidence: The differences between one with status getting hurt versus one without it. The treatment and focus is widely different. If this includes teachers or not is still underdetermined.

*****

author's note:

hi everyone once again heh. i think this might also be a sort of coming of age story while Cassidy tries to find reasons to support her experiment. (i wonder if anyone of you can guess why she's doing this heh) to be honest it's been a while since i wrote in first pov. it's an interesting rediscovery in writing haha!

thanks again for reading! i hope you all enjoy!