I Liked it Better When They Were Young
The cool kids
Friday 27th August 8:43am
Great start to the day. Missed my bus and had to get a lift in with my mom. I'll be late for registration, everyone will stare at me. It doesn't get better than this. That's the sad thing, it actually doesn't. Thank god it's Friday!
9:10am
I walked in late. As predicted, everyone stares at me. I must be psychic. I sat down in my seat. Billie leaned towards me.
"How come you weren't on the bus?"
"I missed it. Mom had to take me in."
"Oh. Ok. Thought you might have been sick or something..." He leaned back again. He was always so interested in me. It felt nice. The bell rang. As we left registration, I caught Tre staring at my chest.
"Tre, I'm up here!" I said loudly, catching him off guard. Everyone looked at him, then they went to their various classes, laughing quietly. Tre went scarlet.
"I was reading what you're t-shirt said!" He blurted out.
"Her t-shirt's plain." Billie said cuttingly, looking pleased with himself. He glanced at my shirt, just to double check. I laughed and walked on to Art.
3:52pm
On the bus home. Billie was listening to music. Renee came up to him, flanked by Frazer.
"Hey, you!" Billie took his headphones out.
"What?"
"We have decided you are now cool enough to move up a sit. Just three more seats and you could be at the very back!" Billie burst out laughing.
"What the...?"
"You see, the cooler you are, the further back you sit." Renee explained. "It's like a status, an identity. For instance, I'm the coolest..." Billie laughed.
"If you say so!"
"And therefore sit in the centre of the back seat. Megan and Elliot sit either side of me. Frazer sits by the window. As you progress through Pinole Valley High, you will move up towards the back or down towards the front." Billie was almost crying with laughter. Renee pulled out a folded piece of paper. I rolled my eyes. "Here is a sheet of what earns cool points, which I keep on my person at all times. If you gain five cool points, you can move up a seat. If you loose five cool points, you must move down a seat." Billie's brow furrowed in thought.
"That sounds like the Happy Days game..."
"For example..." Renee was too set in his dorky ways to listen to a word Billie was saying. "If you look out of the window, that's one cool point, if you listen to music, that's two cool points. However, if you laugh at bus members who are cooler than you, you lose three points. If you laugh at US, we have the power to take away all your cool points and send you to the front of the bus. You have nine cool points for looks alone, and you have listened to music once and befriended someone cooler than you, the lovely Peaches. Don't forget, she's been here for three years." Billie looked at me with a very confused expression and I gave him a knowing smile. " That gives you five more cool points and you can therefore move up a seat." Renee gave Billie a tiny nod. He laughed.
"Ok, I dunno how this fits into your little chart there, but, I really don't care where I sit!" They both gasped. Renee looked at Frazer, Frazer looked at Renee.
"We'll get back to you on that!" Said Frazer and they both went to the back seat to confer.Billie sniggered.
"What dorks!"
"You've just lost four cool points for laughing at us!" Renee yelled down the bus, "One more and you're down a seat!"
I laughed.
"You're lucky they didn't take away all your cool points! They could have made you start from scratch." He gaped at me.
"It's poinless! People have the right to sit where they want!" I shook my head.
"Not on this bus!" He looked stunned.
"So come on then! How cool are you? Where's your seat?" I pointed to it.
"One in front of the back seat, but I've been sitting there for a year now. I got there in my second year. Lately though I've been sitting with you. If someone cooler than you shares a seat with you, you earn three points. It's considered "befriending" them. But if someone less cool than you shares a seat with you and you don't object, you lose points." He grinned.
"So did I cost you cool points?" I nodded.
"I don't care though. I think it's as stupid as you do." He laughed and leaned back.
"At least it's Friday!"
"Yeah. So have you enjoyed your first week?" He nodded.
"It's been quite cool. I'm glad I met you. Not sure I would have liked it. Might have dropped out, like I did with my last two schools."
"Is that how you got expelled? By skiving?" He nodded.
"That and "Samoking on the premises."" I laughed. He smiled. "I know, pathetic, right?" He got out a pack of cigarettes and lit up one, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign positioned behind him. "Teachers. What's they're problem?" He laughed throatily and took a drag. "So who's the least cool?" I pointed to a pair of dark haired twins with watery blue eyes.
"Conner or Duncan."
"Which one?" I squinted.
"Probably Conner. It's tough. I think they respect Duncan a little because, he doesn't really care, he just sits wherever. But Conner...." I whistled. I leaned towards Billie and lowered my voice. "He actually cried when he was told to move." Billie roared with laughter.
"You're kidding!"
"Nope. He burst into tears. So they made him sit right at the bottom of the bus. If he'd taken it like a man he probably would have been ok and they would have forgotten about it. But he is now called Conner the Crier. I don't think he can even earn cool points anymore." Billie laughed. He looked out the window to check where we were. After missing his stop the other day, he does this a lot now. I looked behind me and saw Renee add a cool point.
Great start to the day. Missed my bus and had to get a lift in with my mom. I'll be late for registration, everyone will stare at me. It doesn't get better than this. That's the sad thing, it actually doesn't. Thank god it's Friday!
9:10am
I walked in late. As predicted, everyone stares at me. I must be psychic. I sat down in my seat. Billie leaned towards me.
"How come you weren't on the bus?"
"I missed it. Mom had to take me in."
"Oh. Ok. Thought you might have been sick or something..." He leaned back again. He was always so interested in me. It felt nice. The bell rang. As we left registration, I caught Tre staring at my chest.
"Tre, I'm up here!" I said loudly, catching him off guard. Everyone looked at him, then they went to their various classes, laughing quietly. Tre went scarlet.
"I was reading what you're t-shirt said!" He blurted out.
"Her t-shirt's plain." Billie said cuttingly, looking pleased with himself. He glanced at my shirt, just to double check. I laughed and walked on to Art.
3:52pm
On the bus home. Billie was listening to music. Renee came up to him, flanked by Frazer.
"Hey, you!" Billie took his headphones out.
"What?"
"We have decided you are now cool enough to move up a sit. Just three more seats and you could be at the very back!" Billie burst out laughing.
"What the...?"
"You see, the cooler you are, the further back you sit." Renee explained. "It's like a status, an identity. For instance, I'm the coolest..." Billie laughed.
"If you say so!"
"And therefore sit in the centre of the back seat. Megan and Elliot sit either side of me. Frazer sits by the window. As you progress through Pinole Valley High, you will move up towards the back or down towards the front." Billie was almost crying with laughter. Renee pulled out a folded piece of paper. I rolled my eyes. "Here is a sheet of what earns cool points, which I keep on my person at all times. If you gain five cool points, you can move up a seat. If you loose five cool points, you must move down a seat." Billie's brow furrowed in thought.
"That sounds like the Happy Days game..."
"For example..." Renee was too set in his dorky ways to listen to a word Billie was saying. "If you look out of the window, that's one cool point, if you listen to music, that's two cool points. However, if you laugh at bus members who are cooler than you, you lose three points. If you laugh at US, we have the power to take away all your cool points and send you to the front of the bus. You have nine cool points for looks alone, and you have listened to music once and befriended someone cooler than you, the lovely Peaches. Don't forget, she's been here for three years." Billie looked at me with a very confused expression and I gave him a knowing smile. " That gives you five more cool points and you can therefore move up a seat." Renee gave Billie a tiny nod. He laughed.
"Ok, I dunno how this fits into your little chart there, but, I really don't care where I sit!" They both gasped. Renee looked at Frazer, Frazer looked at Renee.
"We'll get back to you on that!" Said Frazer and they both went to the back seat to confer.Billie sniggered.
"What dorks!"
"You've just lost four cool points for laughing at us!" Renee yelled down the bus, "One more and you're down a seat!"
I laughed.
"You're lucky they didn't take away all your cool points! They could have made you start from scratch." He gaped at me.
"It's poinless! People have the right to sit where they want!" I shook my head.
"Not on this bus!" He looked stunned.
"So come on then! How cool are you? Where's your seat?" I pointed to it.
"One in front of the back seat, but I've been sitting there for a year now. I got there in my second year. Lately though I've been sitting with you. If someone cooler than you shares a seat with you, you earn three points. It's considered "befriending" them. But if someone less cool than you shares a seat with you and you don't object, you lose points." He grinned.
"So did I cost you cool points?" I nodded.
"I don't care though. I think it's as stupid as you do." He laughed and leaned back.
"At least it's Friday!"
"Yeah. So have you enjoyed your first week?" He nodded.
"It's been quite cool. I'm glad I met you. Not sure I would have liked it. Might have dropped out, like I did with my last two schools."
"Is that how you got expelled? By skiving?" He nodded.
"That and "Samoking on the premises."" I laughed. He smiled. "I know, pathetic, right?" He got out a pack of cigarettes and lit up one, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign positioned behind him. "Teachers. What's they're problem?" He laughed throatily and took a drag. "So who's the least cool?" I pointed to a pair of dark haired twins with watery blue eyes.
"Conner or Duncan."
"Which one?" I squinted.
"Probably Conner. It's tough. I think they respect Duncan a little because, he doesn't really care, he just sits wherever. But Conner...." I whistled. I leaned towards Billie and lowered my voice. "He actually cried when he was told to move." Billie roared with laughter.
"You're kidding!"
"Nope. He burst into tears. So they made him sit right at the bottom of the bus. If he'd taken it like a man he probably would have been ok and they would have forgotten about it. But he is now called Conner the Crier. I don't think he can even earn cool points anymore." Billie laughed. He looked out the window to check where we were. After missing his stop the other day, he does this a lot now. I looked behind me and saw Renee add a cool point.