Jane Morgan paced the cafeteria. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be the Homecoming Queen. After all she was the volleyball team captain and had starred in every play and musical the school had done. Well, except for Romeo and Juliet when they were freshmen.

Oh, and then there had been the summer musical. She couldn’t believe it. Once again she had lost the role to Diana Lynch. Diana Lynch!! Who did she think she was? Her daddy had probably donated a bunch of money to the theatre guild so they were obligated to cast her in that role. Diana had been all wrong for the role of Liesl von Trapp.

Then there’s that Hallie Belden. She’s as bad as the rest of that group of birds. Coming in new to the volleyball team she lands a starting position. Okay, so she’s the best spiker on the team. It couldn’t end there though. She designed and helped build the junior homecoming float. Rumor has it that it won the float competition. Doesn’t everyone know the seniors always win all of the homecoming competitions? It’s tradition.

Things hadn’t been right since the beginning of the school year. Since those birds, Honey Wheeler, Diana Lynch and Trixie Belden decided they weren’t going to sit by themselves at lunch but started eating with different people. It upset the entire balance of the school.

First they sat with that brainiac Ruthie Kettner. Over the summer she had started to date football star defensive back Lester Mundy. She also let it be known that she’s working toward her black belt in karate. Brainiacs are not supposed to be athletes.

Jane glanced over to Jerry Hagarty, star of the basketball team. What was it that he had in his hands? It couldn’t be. It looked like something he had baked.

“Hey, guys,” Jerry said to the group of jocks at their lunch table. “I got a confession, my own secret obsession and it’s making me lose control.”

Roger Simpson stood next to the lunch table bouncing the basketball that was ever present in his hands. He stared at Jerry. “What is it? Have you decided on which cheerleader you are going to ask to the dance?”

“No,” Jerry replied, placing the plate on the table. “I like to bake.”

“Bake?” Roger gasped. He quit dribbling the ball and it rolled away from the table.

“Yeah,” Jerry said. “I love to bake. Strudels, scones, and apple pandowdy.”

Roger stared in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding. If you want to be cool, you need to stick to one single rule. You need to stick with the stuff you know, like basketball.”

He picked up one of the scones and carefully tasted it. His eyes got large but he said nothing and grabbed a second one.

Meanwhile, at the brainiac table, Ruthie Kettner sat with Kathy Carlson and Tracey O’Reilly. Kathy and Tracey were the co-captains of the Science Olympiad team.

“We have to practice every night after school if we’re going to beat Croton this year in the Science Olympiad,” Kathy said. “It’s going to take everyone’s dedication.”

Ruthie hesitated for a second, something obviously bothering her. “I’m not sure I can be there every night,” she finally admitted.

“What?!” Kathy and Tracey said in disbelieving unison.

Ruthie tried to explain. “Look at me and what do you see? Intelligence beyond compare, but inside I’m stirring, something strange is occurring.”

“Some strange is really occurring,” Tracey said sarcastically, “You’re talking in rhymes and not making any sense.”

Ruthie continued as if she hadn’t heard Tray. “It’s a secret I need to share. Karate is my passion. I can Gedan Barai and Jodan Uke.”

“Is that even legal?” Kathy asked.

“It’s just karate stances. I think it’s cooler than homework,” Ruthie replied.

“No, no, no!” Tracey screamed. “Stick with the stuff you know. It is better by far to keep things as they are. Don’t mess the flow. Stick with the status quo.” She paused a second and then groaned. “Now I’m rhyming,” she exclaimed as she held her hands in her head.

In another part of the cafeteria sat a bunch of skate board dudes. Jordan McCarthy was sitting among his friends when he started to confess. “Listen well, I’m ready to tell about a need that I cannot deny.”

Penny Smith held her hands over her ears, closed her eyes as if to shake off an image and pleaded, “I don’t want to hear about your needs and how you want to ask out any girl that looks at you and I don’t want to hear any more of that poor excuse of poetry you’ve suddenly started to spout.”

Jordan continued, “Dude, there is no explanation for this awesome sensation, but I’m ready to let it fly.”

“Dude,” Penny insisted. “Enough with the rhyming, please. Speak your mind and you’ll be heard.”

“I’m coming clean,” he said. “I play the cello!”

Penny looked at him in awe. “Awesome,” she said. “What is it?”

Jordan mimicked holding something upright and sawing back and forth.

“A saw?” she asked.

Jordan looked at her in disgust, “No, dude, it’s like a giant violin!”

Penny asked in disbelief, “Do you have to wear a costume?”

“Sure do,” Jordan said proudly. “A coat and tie.”

Penny continued to shake her head. “No, no, no. Stick to stuff you know. You’ve got to stick to the status quo.”

Trixie, Diana and Honey had been sitting at their table, oblivious to the excitement happening around them and the influence they had on the entire school. Hallie was still in line waiting for her lunch.

Jane, on the other hand, was well aware of what was happening. She paced back and forth, furious that things were changing.

“This is not what I want,” she said to her sidekick, Julian Evans. “This is not what I planned. And I just got to say I don’t understand. Something is really wrong here and we’ve gotta get things back where they belong.”

“We can do it,” Julian assured her. “We’ve just gotta stick together.”

Chaos reigned in the cafeteria as all of the cliques celebrated things they had never shared before.

Finally, Jane yelled, “Everybody quiet!!” And surprisingly everyone was.

Hallie walked up to the table where the Bob-White girls had been sitting at. “Why is everyone staring at you?” she asked of the girls.

“Not at us,” Honey replied. “You.”

“Because I made the Varsity Volleyball team?” Hallie asked. “I can’t have people staring at me. This is just awful.”

The cafeteria was still up in arms. Hallie walked around the table to the empty seat but before she could get to her seat, Jane ran into her.

The entire cafeteria gasped and then there was silence for what seemed to be an eternity.

Jane glared as Hallie tried to apologize. Several people got up to help Hallie out but stopped when it was pointed out that one didn’t want to cross Jane Morgan.

Suddenly, Principal Stratton came into the cafeteria. He looked from Jane to Hallie and tried to assess the situation.

“What is going on here?” he asked.

“Look at this!! That Hallie girl just dumped her lunch on me!” Jane explained, playing the wronged victim to the hilt. “I know it was on purpose. It’s all part of their plan to ruin Homecoming. And I’ll bet the jocks are behind this too. After all of our hard work, someone is trying to ruin it.”

“Now, Jane, you are making a big deal about nothing,” the principal said. “It’s good that everyone is getting along.”

Jane glared at Mr. Stratton and then at Hallie, turned around and stomped off.



 


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Author's Notes

This is my contribution to CWE 6: Trixie as… Although it’s really Jane Morgan as. I cheated a little in that it’s from a made for TV movie but I think it’s familiar enough that someone would pick it out.
-Thanks to my editor, BonnieH. She rocks!!
-Mal rocks, too!! She hosts my site AND does my graphics.
-Gedan Barai and Jodan Uke are karate stances.
-Rated Blue Star
- Word Count, 1290

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