Fear/No Fear

Doug caught Melissa on the way to the cafeteria for breakfast, Grabbing her hand tight and leading her to get food and then the cafeteria. She had started to take the pancakes but he whispered in her ear; "We'll have to talk about how I don't like my girls to put on weight, later." Another blow to her self-esteem, not that she could really afford it. She went with a fruit smoothie and a bagel with cream cheese instead. "Later," Doug repeated.

They got their food just in time for them to hear a comment from Lance about two Monkeys. Both Doug and Melissa looked to see who Lance was talking about but while Doug laughed and smiled at the comment. Melissa had a look on her face like if you had shoved 1,000 needles into her arm it would be less painful than what she was currently going through. The look though might only be caught by someone who was actually looking for it in a moment it was gone; after all, she had to hide it from Doug. Something she was very skilled at.

Doug led Mel to the table where the rich kids await and they sat down next to each other before Doug spoke up. "Good one, Lance." Doug hated the scholarship students he had no use for any of them. And wasn't too happy with the rich kids that hung out with them.

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Rose did her hair, then again. "Should I curl it?"

Sam rolled her eyes but also smiled. "Will you stop it? It's JD. Trust me; I'm pretty sure you could wear a paper bag and he'd think you were pretty."

"I just ..." Rose didn't really know what to say. She hadn't been nervous last night with him, and he didn't make her nervous but she was anyway.

"You look fine."

Rose sighed. "Ok but I think I'll wear my uniform. The school might not approve of the paper bag look." She joked. Then changed the subject to her roommate. "You don't seem nervous at all about this morning."

"I'm not. I'm just happy to be dating Heath." Sam smiled. She was really happy but wasn't one to get super nervous about things like this. Besides, they were dating not engaged or anything.

The two girls finished getting ready and headed to breakfast.

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Heath had gotten up earlier than JD; so he had missed the whole polish JD had done on his uniform or he would have stopped him. No, Heath had gone into town using rideshare to pick up something he had made for Sam. It was a surprise; he'd give it to her later in the day but this was the time he had to go get it. He got back to his room and noticed JD was gone, so Heath got ready and headed to breakfast himself.

He arrived at the Cafeteria at the same time as Rose and Sam. He hugged his girlfriend. "You ready?" He asked.

"Yup," Sam replied. Then the three of them got food and went to find their table.

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Dawn was in a quandary. She really wanted to sit with April and could use the excuse of wanting to sit with Zander as an excuse but while she wasn't shy at all; this all felt really different and she couldn't do it.

April wasn't sure if she could sit with Dawn no how much she wanted to; while the people Dawn sat with had always been responsibly nice to Apri, that still wasn't her group.

So, the two girls got ready they talked about the weather, classes, and the talk about what had gone on last night. But neither mentioned what was really on their mind; each other. And when they got to the cafeteria they got food together but wouldn't be sitting together.

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Zander saw his sister and April walk in together and while he didn't know April that well, he knew his sister better than she knew herself at times. He didn't approach them but watched from a distance. He saw it in Dawn's body language, he knew what it was and the boy took a breath. He didn't have any idea how that was going to play out.

When Dawn and April came out of the line suddenly they heard "Hey look it's Mrs. Nerd of America." Aimed at April from one of the rich girls. Then a male voice said. "And Mr. Nerd is right behind them." The two girls turned to see Zander behind them and Dawn and Zander caught that it was Doug who had said the second part.

"This school is getting overrun by losers," Doug said. "First loser nerds and now scholarship losers."

Dawn wasn't scared of much she certainly wasn't scared of her brother and she put her tray down and walked right up to Doug. "Leave them alone."

"Or what?" Doug asked with a slight sneer.

Dawn leaned in really close, close enough that she could whisper in Doug ear, so, no one else could hear. "Speed Dial, that's what." She had their moms on speed dial and Doug knew exactly what she meant.

Dawn walked away and got back to April and Zander but the threat didn't seem to deter Doug very much as he added. "And the weirdo theater geeks." Clearly aimed at Dawn. "It's like we've entered the loser dimension."

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Kyle walked into the cafeteria right as the insult was being hurled at Dawn. Who seemed to take her tray, say something to April and Zander, and the three of them made their way to their tables. Dawn sitting with the mixed group and April and Zander with the nerds. He was tempted to walk up to Doug but Doug hadn't done anything physical and so Kyle left it alone. He got in line to get his food.