School cafeteria? Looks more like a jungle

[cupid]

ooc: Open

Morning passed by quickly, and lunch came before he knew it. Phillip manged to survive unscathed the first half of the day. Well, maybe that was an understatement. The unfortunate incident in the girl's bathroom had left its mark on him, literally. The outfit his aunt carefully picked out that morning was completely ruined, and even a trip to the nurse's office did nothing to help his sore body. He was absolutely traumatized and was dreading what would happen the moment he walked into the house.

His aunt would demand to know what happened, and he would eventually break down and admit that he got his ass kicked by a girl. He could imagine his guardian's reaction from hearing that.

"A girl! A girl beat you up? Never in my life have I..."

That's the reaction he imagined from his aunt the moment he enters the house.

Years of living with his aunt taught him how she thought and reacted in various situations. It was sort of scary but useful to think about when he contemplated doing something risky in the future. It wasn't worth having fun when you had to deal with your aunt's fury afterwards.

His next decision was very important; making the wrong move would only bring more fury from his aunt. In other words, he was searching for a table that he could sit at for the rest of his high school years. That table will choose his friends, clique, and social standing at this school. It was such a tough decision, and Phillip was a very cautious person.

With a brown paper bag containing his lunch gripped in his left hand, he entered the cafeteria. Or hell as he liked to call it.

The first table that caught his eye had a few empty seats, and it appeared that the students sitting there were not saving spots for any other buddies. He walked forward with a wide smile on his face, feeling encouraged. However, he suddenly stopped and wrinkled his nose. The group looked pretty cool by the way they dressed, but an odd smell floated around their area.

Phillip wasn't stupid; he recognized the smell of cigarette smoke. He also noticed the dull looks on their faces, as if they did drugs for a living. What would happen if he joined them without knowing that? For a second, he imagined himself becoming a druggie and causing all sorts of trouble. It seemed fun, but it wasn't worth it. His aunt would strangle him if she even caught the scent of cigarette smoke on his clothes.

Perhaps it would be better to find a nicer table to sit at.

He spent the next few minutes walking through the cafeteria, finding a group that would be willing to accept. Like every other school, #42 was formed of various cliques. He recognized the rich, popular kids with their expensive handbags and bulging wallets. Nearby was a table full of football players, which he avoided since those type of guys always turn out to be bullies. He also saw a group of black rappers who seemed sort of nice. Well, maybe not. He was sure that one of those guys in the group shot him a nasty glare.

Perhaps it would be best for him to join the nerds. He was often mistaken for one due to the way he dressed, so it wouldn't be hard to fit in with that group. Soon, he located the nerd table, but their conversation about biophysics made his head spin. He definitely wasn't smart enough to join that table.

What shall a troubled one such as him do? He wished that he had entered this school at the beginning of the year so that it would be easier to find a friend. Well, if that was even possible. Phillip was such an outcast. He was so pathetic that he couldn't even fit in with the unpopular crowd. It was sad, but this was something that he had to deal with for years. He was used to it, but troubled times such as right now made him sad about the way he turned out.

He wondered if there was even a table for outcasts. This was a big school with a large student population, so he could hope there was one. However, he realized that outcasts could never fit into a group. They probably spent their lunch hour in their own quiet worlds. He sighed. If only there was a way that he could meet people such as himself. The world was big, so he was sure that there were people as pathetic as himself.

As the seconds passed, Phillip began to realize that he was standing there, doing nothing but making a complete fool out of himself. People would notice a guy who spent the last five minutes standing in the same place. He was also making himself a target for bullies.

If only someone would be kind enough to invite him to a table. He wanted nothing more than to be spared from the torture he was suffering from right now.

[Kate]

Lunch time, and Kate McHallin was actually at the cafeteria? Really? What a crazy idea. The blonde had a few bruises here and there from all the fights she had been in, but those were all covered by clothing. The pale girl had a tray, and some slop on it like everyone else. And she was walking down the aisles of tables, as all the eyes around landed on her. She wore a tight turtle neck, black and long sleeved, dark jeans tight to her figure, black strap heels, and a silver heart necklace around her neck. Her hair was perfectly done, as well as her makeup. All in all, a perfect looking angel walking down toward the seatless student.

She didn't sit with jocks, though they offered. She didn't sit with the rich kids, as they assumed. Why? Kate was worth more than their parents put together. She strode forward, continuing her path that would bring her right next to the lost boy. He looked like a waif... yes, a waif. She stopped next to him and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Lost little boy?"

A guy like him was not attractive to Kate, who had her choice of most of the males she had met in her life. In fact, she thought he was very underfed. But she was smiling at him, in a coy way, waiting for an answer.

[cupid]

Before him, he was a very beautiful girl. With her blond hair, pale skin, and flawless face, she was like Cinderella. Well, she did have a big chest, so Phillip labeled her the curvy, hot Cinderella.

Oh my, he just looked at a girl's chest. His face turned red and he moved his eyes to her face. No, she was too pretty. He looked at one of the tables behind her, to prevent himself from getting a heart attack. It was a hobby of his to label every person he met as Cinderella or Prince Charming. He had no idea why, but he felt as if almost every person he met had something special.

This girl was so hot. He felt something rare awaken in him. Perhaps it was the hormones that he and his aunt spent so much time keeping under control. For a few seconds, he felt just like any other guy who came across a hot girl. He grinned and made eye contact with her before he turned back into his normal, boring self. His aunt warned him countless times about girls like these. They were nothing but airheads who sold their bodies. However, he couldn't believe everything his aunt told him.

Phillip had social issues which meant that he never talked to a girl, especially one as pretty as Kate. He never knew how girls acted, so perhaps his aunt could be wrong.

"I..." he shuddered, unable to continue what he was about to say. Phillip was frozen to the spot, and his eyes began to gaze at her chest. He just couldn't help it; not looking at her was impossible.

[Pine]

Pine was in the lunchroom eating his lunch. It seemed no one wanted to eat with the red head. This of course was not a problem for Pine who spent the last year sitting alone in the confines if his own cell. He was happily watching everyone be happy despite all the problems that took place at this school. It seemed everyone could get along over food and just take a break from the fighting. Well, so Pine though. Three men approached his table and Pine looked up at them. They all had vicious smiles on their faces and Pine had an idea as to what was going to happen. He took another bit of his sandwich as one of them spoke.

"You're in our spot." The leader spoke and took a step toward the table.

Pine's eyes were hidden by his bangs but he could clearly see the boys eyes. They were looking for a fight and Pine was not going to give it to them.

"I-I'm almost finished." Pine replied, his eyes still on the boys.

"Di-did you h-hear that boys? H-he's almost done." The boy laughed as Pine chewed another bite of his sandwich.

"I-I'll leave then." Pine said and packed up his food and walked off.

The boys continued to make fun of Pine as he walked away but he ignored it. He was lost in his thoughts of what he was going to do to them off school grounds. The boys were brave in a group but how would they act alone? Would they beg for mercy or fight to the end? So many thoughts and so little time.

Pine was so lost in his thoughts he walked into a skinny boy just standing around. As realization of what just happened hit Pine he looked around to see a pretty blond standing beside him. That looked a little out of place but who was Pine to judge? Pine turned to face the pair and tilted his head forward as he spoke.

"S-sorry about that...I...I wasn't paying attention. To busy trying to...block out the insults of the students th-that kicked me out of my seat."

[Elmira Medina]

Elmira was people watching as she ate her fruit salad, her cell phone a few inches away on the table as she waited for the vibrating buzz signal that let her know she received a text message back from somebody. Much of the ones she sent out were mass texts about her party on Friday night, but perhaps most people assumed the invitation style message was not meant to return a response. She chewed on a mouthful of two different types of melons and a grape, though her next bite might have a different outcome of fruit, depending on what she scooped up in her spoon.

Bzzzz!

She slid open the phone to read the new text. "ya sure ill go. c u there ellie. =)" Elmira didn't even like this girl, but she couldn't let her know that yet. She wanted as many people as possible to show up for the party, and hopefully this person would have company tagging along. "great bring ur frends" she wrote back quickly, then lifted her head to scan the room again.

The first thing she noticed was a baby-faced kid staring at some blonde chick's chest. Ugh. Just what I wanted to notice, Elmira thought miserably. Not only did the girl have larger breasts than Ellie, as most of the female population did, but she was also gorgeous overall: well-groomed gold hair, sparkling jewel-toned eyes, smooth porcelain skin. Maybe she just looked prettier in Elmira's eyes because she was wicked jealous, yet she couldn't help but comparing the stranger to a Barbie doll. Well, a bad ass Barbie. Barbie without the fake, plastic smile and the princess gowns and prom dresses. She felt herself glaring. That can't be good. Her eyes shot back down to her fruit salad as she fed herself another spoonful, hoping nobody noticed her cold stares.

[Kate]

Well, wasn't this interesting? Kate didn't miss a thing, his eyes on her chest, his lack of words, followed by the other guy bumping into him, and then there. Someone was glaring at her... the small chested girl on her cell phone. Kate smirked, grinning at the two boys.

"Lost lamb then, come on, we'll find a spot to sit."

The other boy could come along as well, if he felt like it. Kate felt like possibly starting a scene. She walked with her tray, as graceful as could be, to the table that held the glaring girl. Kate whisked that way, balancing her tray on one hand. The other? It had grabbed the first boy by the elbow gently and guided him along. Should the other male follow, Kate would make room for him too.

Straight to that table, and she looked at the bench full of people. They stared at her, and she smiled at them. There was a certain amount of evil behind those emerald eyes, but no one really saw that. They just saw the pretty girl.

"Move."

It was the other side from the girl who had glared at her. No one moved an inch, and just started at her. Kate lifted a foot and slammed it into the bench. The entire table, filled with the weight of so many people, shuddered and moved. Kate kept on grinning.

"I said move."

Then people began to scramble out of her way, making enough room for three. Kate sat down, straight across from the girl.

[Elmira Medina]

Elmira's teeth sunk into bits of apple sharp, crisp, and hard, the crunching sound resonating her fury. Either badass Barbie was oblivious to Elmira's glares and coincidentally made herself comfortable with oggle-eyes boy right across from her, or she chose the spot on purpose just to spite the flat-chested girl and perhaps stir up a bit of trouble. The thought that the latter might be true only ticked off Elmira even more. For all she knew, the blonde could have been the sweetest and kind-hearted person to ever exist, and maybe she cursed her good looks because others were constantly jealous of her. Perhaps she had relationship difficulties as men only noticed her body and objectified her instead of appreciating her for her personality. Should Elmira be so quick to judge?

Yup, she thought. I don't care. That girl's a bitch, and she wants to rub it in my face that she thinks she's better than me. At the same time, though, if there really was an evil scheme behind choosing the seat across the table, that would mean that Elmira's insecurities had become blatantly obvious. How embarrassing.

"Um... do I know you?" Elmira asked with resentment in her voice.

[cupid]

His mouth dropped open in surprise. Was his hearing bad or did she just invite him to sit with her? Maybe there was someone next to him that she was talking to instead. He looked to the side and seeing no one, turned his attention back to Kate. With his mouth still hanging open, his raised his right finger and pointed to his chest.

Phillip lost the ability to speak, so he now had to use gestures to communicate. Man, he felt so pathetic just doing that. Or maybe he wasn't pathetic after all. There must be something in him that made Kate want to invite him to eat lunch together. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't really think of any good qualities that would attract a preppy girl like her.

This was high school where it was ultimate social suicide for a prep to talk to someone like him. Damn, did Kate have any idea what she was doing? Maybe she was being impaired by drugs; it was common for the popular crowd to partake in illegal substances. Or maybe she just felt bad for him...

Phillip shut his mouth. Why should he be thinking these thoughts? A hot girl talked to him, so he shouldn't be complaining. If she was on drugs, then this was his chance to use this lunch period to do what would never happen again.

He allowed her to pull him to one of the full tables. His feet were heavy, but she was strong enough to drag him. She was also a ferocious one and could kick people out of the table without making an effort. Phililp wished he could do that.

Damn, those popular people were lucky...

Without hesitating, he took a seat next to Kate and began opening his lunch bag. He ate the same thing everyday: a peanut butter sandwich and carrot sticks. His aunt was too grouchy in the mornings to bother making something a little more sustaining. Phillip's lunches obviously had a connection with his thin figure.

As he ate, he paid no attention to the hostility going on between Kate and Elmira. He was a guy, meaning that he never really noticed these sort of things.

[Pine]

Pine's apology was not acknowledged. The only thing he wondered was if that was a bad thing or a good thing? Perhaps he had interrupted something very important. Considering he had not been punched yet, he doubted it. The girl looked at him and the other boy and smiled before taking the by the arm and leading him off. Pine stood there for a second before following. If they didn't want him then he could easily say that he was looking for a table over here. He made sure to stay a little bit of a distance behind just in case.

As they pair reached a table Pine slowed down and made as if to pass them when he heard the blond tell others to move. He sped up his pace in case there was to be a fight. The kids moved after the second snapped order. Pine came up to the other side of the girl (the hand that held the tray) and looked at the table. There were conveniently plenty of room and since there were only two of them that left room for Pine. What a fortunate turn of events this was turning out to be. Pine waited until the other two took a seat before seating himself.

Pulling out his lunch Pine heard one girl at the table talk. Her tone was familiar, something he had heard before. It forced his mind to think back to when he still talked and hung out with his siblings. Yes, her voice reminded him of when he told one of his brothers to do something they didn't want to. Against someone of authority the term for such a tone use was resentment...or was it anger...Pine really wasn't too sure anymore. A grin flashed across his face as he opened the rest of his pasta and continued to eat. Perhaps it would get interesting around here in a few minutes. Pine surely hoped so.

[Kate]

Oh. Oho. HA. Kate loved it when stupid people tried to start shit. Why? Because Kate was better at starting shit... AND ending it. The blonde flipped some hair over her shoulder, and looked down at her tray. The food was... gross. Greasy and well... not something the blonde would eat to be honest. She hated grease with a passion.

Then she made the mistake of looking over at the skinny boy's lunch. REALLY?!?!? What the fuck was he eating?!?! It was like those starving kids in Africa, only sitting right next to her. Kate really didn't like situations like that, and hidden to the rest of the world... the blonde spent a good amount of money helping causes like that. But it was HIDDEN because she had a rep to keep up in the business world, the under world, and every day life. She flashed a quick smile to the female.

"Probably not, my name is Kate McHallin. Nice to meet you, ...?"

If you watched the news, then you'd know the name. Kate had purchased several companies suddenly in the area, was in the middle of sponsoring construction in the downtown area, and well... yeah, she was a rich bitch. She proceeded to open her phone and rattle off in French a couple of things.

Only a matter of time really... She looked at the boy next to her.

"You should really eat more..."

Look!!! There was even a note of worry in those emerald eyes.

[Elmira Medina]

Kate McHallin... Elmira repeated in her mind. The name sounded awfully familiar, though she couldn't pinpoint why. She didn't follow the news much, not exactly being the intelligent, involved type, but she was somewhat aware of the business world, with her father being a prominent figure in the money-based universe. Oh gawd, she's rich! she thought, watching as she spoke on her phone in another language, which Elmira could at least identify as French, though she could not understand it.

Fucking aye. I leave private school and come to public school to get away from girls like this. Why the hell is somebody of her stature in this God-forsaken public school? It seemed that she was confronted with her least favorite type of girl- pretty AND rich. If she just happened to be attractive but poor, it wouldn't be so bad; she wouldn't be able to afford nice clothes and other maintenance things that Elmira herself splurged in: manicures, facials, hair stylings...

"My pleasure," she replied slowly, as if the words were troublesome to slip from her mouth. "I'm Elmira. Does your boyfriend need some food?" She quirked up an eyebrow. Elmira didn't really pair up the two as a couple in her mind, since they didn't exactly look as if they went together, but she made the statement nonetheless.

[cupid]

Phillip was the kind of guy who saved the best thing for last. It even extended all the way to how he ate. Instead of gobbling down his sandwich, he ate slowly, starting with the crusts. After that, he took small bites of his sandwich, savoring the creamy peanut butter. He preferred crunchy peanut putter with strawberry jam, but his aunt dismissed them as unnecessary.

It was the same thing with his carrot sticks. They were sweet and he loved them, but it would have been nice to have a little ranch dressing to go with it. He needed the extra calories since he was pretty skinny. His aunt was practically forcing him to live on rabbit food.

Just as the last bite of carrot entered his mouth, Kate told him that he needed to eat more. His looked up, his mouth dropping slightly in surprise. Lucky he had already swallowed his food by then, saving Kate the trouble of having to deal with a guy with bad table manners.

He really wished that he had more food, but he had his aunt to deal with. His aunt wasn't cruel or anything, but she believed in giving him only what was necessary. However, he would totally try to get out of that if he had the chance or money. He looked at what Elmira, Kate, and Pine were eating. To them, their food may look absolutely revolting, but to a guy who would eat almost anything, it looked wonderful. However, he would seem like some starving homeless kid if he continued to stare at his trays, so he looked back at his empty paper bag.

Having nothing else to do, he concentrated on Elmira and Kate's conversation. He looked up again in surprise as he shook his head. Obviously, he was doing that to tell the girl that he was dating Kate. However, some food would be nice.

[Kate]

Kate looked at the other female, amused beyond anything else. There was a sort of smile on her full lips, like she knew what the female was simmering about. The blonde had a very good idea, exactly what was going on in the other female's head.

"Not my boyfriend, but he is a cutie pie," She leaned slightly over to him, still smirking. "Now would be a good time to supply your name darling."

There was a twinkle in those emerald eyes. She had introduced herself after all. The pale woman waited a moment, until a very large man in a suit trotted up the table. Like hulking big. With a scar down his face. He handed her a large bag and trotted off. She opened the bag and pulled out a huge platter of.... sushi. With several pairs of chopsticks.

"Will you guys join me?"

Such a sweet smile as she grabbed a pair of chopsticks. The blonde looked at the girl across the table, wondering how she would react... even as her suited man left.

[Pine]

Pine sat there eating his food quietly as he took in what was going on around him. He watched the other students and payed half attention to the two girls talking. Him and the other boy just seemed to sit there quietly. The girls conversation fell to the boy who seemed to be eating nothing. Pine leaned over the table to see carrot sticks and what might have been a sandwich sitting in front of him. That seemed like a reasonable sized meal to Pine. That was until a giant man came up behind them carrying a giant bag.

The man put the bag in front of the blond whose name was Kate and walked off. Pine's mouth hung slightly open as he watched the bag open to reveal sushi. Pine liked sushi and even allowed a small grin when she mentioned sharing.

"That...was quite the d-delivery man you have there." Pine said and took the last few bites of his meal before putting it back in his bag.

"You...You sure you don't mind sharing that?" He asked quizzically and waited for her to reply. He was unsure of how open the invitation was. If the girl said yes then he would take a pair of chopsticks and take a few small pieces of sushi. He would then thank the girl and give his name to the table.

"I-I'm Pine...like the tree. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Of course he would only say this if Kate gave a favorable answer if not he would just continue to sit quietly at the table paying attention to his surroundings.

[Elmira Medina]

"Nice to meet you, Pine... and Kate... and Kate's non-boyfriend..." Elmira murmured, finishing off her fruit salad. Out of all the food that the large man in the suit had to deliver to this rich blonde girl, it was sushi. Elmira had a bit of a weakness for sushi. Of course, she had other soft spots, including coffee, booze, and chocolate coconut truffles, but sushi was certainly on her list of favorite indulgences, if it could even be considered such. Plus, with Daddy cutting back on his baby girl's allowance, Elmira did not go out as often to the sushi bars, instead spending her allotted money on hair styles and shopping sprees. She noted to herself to one day organize her spendings into catagories, though whether she would actually follow through was something else entirely.

"I'll take some. Nothing wrong with a little raw fish." Elmira helped herself to a pair of chopsticks and a piece off the large plate. Kate could obviously afford to share, and she had even offered, so Elmira refused to feel guilty about digging in, despite the glares she had passed earlier.

(( OOC edit: I had said I'd post the party thread in all the threads I've been in so far. Here it is. ^^ ))