The Popular Girls Want Answers

Suddenly, in the middle of an explanation about what a "street samurai" is, Kyle falls silent and looks past Tanya. The girl looks over her shoulder and sees her friends standing behind her.

"What are you doing?" Whitney asks with her arms crossed.

Tanya feels tiny. "I'm, I'm eating lunch with Kyle."

"We see that. Why?"

Kyle chimes in with a cheerful "you can eat with us tomorrow, Whitney."

"Shut it, dweeb." Whitney says keeping her focus on Tanya. "Why did you blow us off?"

"I didn't. It's just one lunch because Kyle asked. I'll be back with all of you tomorrow."

"Because he asked? If he asked you to eat that piece of lettuce off the floor, would you do that, too?"

All of the girls laugh at Whitney's mockery. Tanya feels cold as she looks down at the piece of lettuce. She hears herself state: "Yes."

Whitney takes it as Tanya being a smartass. Maggie, on the other hand, who's been watching Tanya's conflicted facial expressions, raises an eyebrow.

"Fine, we don't want you back at our table," Whitney tells Tanya. McKenzie, standing behind the most popular girl in the school, opens her mouth to protest, but thinks better of it and stays quiet. "You blew us off today, so you can eat your lunch at the dweeb table for the rest of the week."

"Fuck off, Whitney," Maggie speaks up.

Whitney glares at the emo girl. "Besides, you'll be right at home with that one. She shares your fashion sense because that outfit is so last year." The outfit was, in fact, not at all so last year. Tanya had selected it because it was in style, but Whitney was more interested in using the opportunity to cut down her rival. Therefore, the outfit was no longer in style. "You should be ashamed to even be seen in that blouse."

Suddenly, Tanya felt embarrassed that she was wearing the blouse she selected for the day. She clutched herself tightly. Whitney grins as her bullying of Tanya appears to be making the girl insecure. Usually, Tanya would be more defensive. "In fact," the lunch bell rings and Whitney pauses until it ends, "you should throw that ghastly, out-of-fashion top out. Anyway, let's go, ladies. We'll leave Tanya with her new best friends."

Whitney turns and walks away thinking she'd shamed Tanya so hard that the student will go home and throw out her brand new outfit. What she doesn't see, because she walked away too quickly, is Tanya's fingers start to unbutton the blouse at the cafeteria table. Kyle and his friends' eyes are riveted as Tanya pops each button out of its buttonhole.

Everyone is speechless except for Maggie. "What the hell are you doing?"