Welcome to Timber Creek

Chapter 3

(No Snot Outta My Nose)

The next two periods followed in the same manner as the first, except in Amanda and Ron's Math class when Mr. Ambrose asked the poor guy to come to the board and do the extra credit question. (Apparently, you don't learn about distributing exponents in Divination.)

English (Tori/Harry)

"What's next?" asked Harry, exasperated.

"Lunch. Hey, you didn't happen to bring any money, did you?" Harry looked at her, suddenly nervous. Fishing in his pockets, he came up with one sickle and some lint.

"I suppose not. What's that anyway?" She picked up the coin and turned it over in her hand.

"Nothing!" he replied quickly, snatching it back.

"Chill out! I only asked what was, you didn't have to snap at me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's fine. Up these stairs. I have to make a pit stop at my locker. Where's yours anyway?"

He unfolded a piece of paper, and read, "Locker: C-160. Where's that?"

"Right next to Marykate's. Poor you."

"Why-"

"Don't worry about it. This is my stop." She stood in front of her locker. "Think you can make it to the C hall by yourself? We'll be late otherwise. All the good cafeteria food'll be gone."

"Umm... I guess I could. Which way is it?"

"Back downstairs, by the science room. Just follow the numbers. I have nearly complete confidence in you."

"Thanks," he mumbled, and walked away.

Main stairs, (Hermione)

"Okay, turn right? No, left. Yeah, left. Wait..." She turned her map around for the millionth time. Maybe I should've stayed with Marykate...

"Lost?" asked an extremely annoying voice. She looked up and saw who spoke.

"John. John Angeloni." She just looked at him. Is it possible? She asked herself. Someone more irksome than I?

"Umm...Nice to meet you."

"You new? You're looking rather lost."

"Yeah, I'm an exchange student, from England. I have to get to my locker. Which way is D-338?"

"This way." He led her to the left, toward the D hall. "D-338, you said? That's right next to Tori, I think. She's wonderful." Sarcasm dripped from the last two words.

"I've met her, not exactly 'wonderful', but Harry and Ron would get along great with her."

"The other exchange students, I take it?"

"Mmmhmmm. My best friends, too."

"Know what you mean. Well, here it is. Hi, Tori."

"Oh, what's up, Trashcan?" Tori replied without looking up.

"See you later...what's your name?"

"Hermione," she replied. This made Tori look up, but she resumed exchanging morning books for afternoon ones, uninterested. "Thanks, by the way."

"Don't mention it." He turned, and walked away. Hermione stared at the combination lock in front of her. I just wish I could do magic. Alohamora, that's all I want.

"What, don't you have locks in France?"

"England; and it's a boarding school, so no. No lockers at all."

Tori closed her locker, and asked, "What's the combination?"

"Why?"

"I only wanted to help you open it. What is it with you German kids and yelling at me?"

"Sorry. 33, 43, 39." Tori unlocked it in a matter of seconds, and Hermione just kind of stared at her.

"How'd you do that, exactly?" The crowd around them began to dissipate, and the bell rang. Tori relocked it, and reopened it slowly.

"Right, Left, Right. Easy-Peasy One-Two-Threesy."

Cafeteria

"So, I came to school the next day, and Tori asked me what happened to my hand. When I told her that I burnt it on a Pop-Tart, she said 'A Pop-Tart?' Just like that, too. Well, I haven't been able to eat one since, and whenever I see her, I say-"

"-a Pop-Tart? Hi, Komfi." Tori sat down in her usual seat next to her friend, Amanda Warrington. Hermione was only a few steps behind, and looked around for a place to sit.

"Over here!" cried a familiar, irritating voice.

"Can it, Trashcan! Hermione, you can sit with us. Actually, please sit with us. We wouldn't want to let Trashcan be happy. At least I wouldn't." She came over, and sat down next to Marykate, who was still looking a little miffed.

"Oh, God! I left Harry in the C hall! I'll be right back, guys." Tori got up, and sprinted toward the door.

"So," started a red-head, sitting on the other side of Amanda W. (Hereafter referred to as Komfi. Amanda refers to someone completely different.) "Your name is, Hermione? That's new. I'm gonna forget that. Your new name is..."

"Harriet!" exclaimed another girl. "I'm Melissa, and that's Sarah. Don't listen to a word she says, she's crazy, really. This--" she pointed to Komfi, "--is Amanda, but we call her Aunti Komfi, or just Komfi, or Komfules. It varies. It's a long story, so I won't bother explaining it. You know Trashcan?"

"John?" she asked.

"Yeah, John."

"He helped me find my locker just now. Why do you call him Trashcan?" At this, everyone burst out in fits of laughter ranging from Limes' nearly silent snort, to Sarah's outright chuckle.

"Yet again," replied Ashley, another Bunchee, (member of the Lunch Bunch) "a long story. All nicknames are Tori's fault. You want answers; you'll have to ask her. Some of them, we don't even know. My names Ashley, by the way; and this is Lauren, my sister."

"Nice to meet you, too. Has anyone seen...ummm...Amanda? She has my friend, Ron. Are they in this lunch?"

"Everyone who's anyone is in this lunch. Only us cool kids can sit at this table, though. We're 'out of the box'."

"Don't forget mildly insane, Sarah," added Melissa.

"Is this the right place?" asked yet another familiar voice. "Amanda said not to stop walking 'till I found the cafeteria sign, and this was the door it was on. This looks right, anyway-"

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "This is the 'Lunch Bunch', Tori told me so much about." Everyone waved, and went through introductions again.

"Hi," he said cautiously. "Can I sit here?" A chorus of "Sure", "Yeah", and "Not snot outta my nose", resounded throughout the table. He sat next to Hermione, across from Leann a.k.a. Limes.

"Seen Harry yet?" he whispered to her.

"No, but Tori just went to find him." She replied.

"Yeah, Amanda went to help."

"Well then, I'm not worried." (More oozing sarcasm on Ron's part.)