"And so that's the point of Hamlet, students," Mr. Fryer explains, tired of having to repeat the lesson in a simpler way to the class. "Any questions?"

Yet again the entire class had nothing to say. Being an English teacher was difficult at times. None of the students could understand any nineteenth century English and were bored to death with Shakespeare.

When nobody answers, Fryer decides that it would be fun to pick on one of the students. "Let's see," he mumbled. "Ms. Perry, do you have any comments on this?"

The blonde with nose piercing and leopard print T-shirt was busy doodling a rocket ship in her notebook. She looks up and innocently says, "I can't do that, Mr. Fryer. My doctor forbids me to do any school work such as answering a question."

The class laughs as Fryer rolls his eyes. "ADHD is just a disorder, Quinn. You'll live. Let me pick someone else. Uh...Ms. Madison!"

Behind Quinn was her best friend, Ruby. She was the quiet girl in the back with a red plaid shirt and combat boots. Her dark brown hair was in a low messy bun. "I'm sorry what," Ruby asked, pretending that she wasn't paying attention.

"What are your thoughts on Hamlet?" Fryer asks her.

For a moment, Ruby taps her foot on the floor. "Shakespeare had a thing for witches," she guessed.

"Ms. Madison, that is not even close to anything I said. Anybody else have anything to say?"

The only person to raise their hand was Alec Hastings. He was the most annoying and ignorant student in school. "Mr. Fryer, may I point out that Shakespeare's work is mostly about love, death, and despair," he informs. "Also, that Shakespeare's heterosexuality has been proven through his work."

That last comment made Ruby interrupted, "Shakespeare was never proven to be heterosexual. Maybe bisexual."

Alec turns back and cackles, "Such a surprise that you defend straight people."

"Oh, Alec, I knew that you loved me, but you'll never have a shot with me." Ruby mocks him making most of the class laugh.

"Like you don't like sucxking dick everyday," Alec insults her back.

"Maybe you should butt out of people's business, you son of a bitch-" Quinn was quick to defend her best friend.

Fryer cuts her off. "Ms. Perry, Mr. Hastings, do not make send you two to the principal's office again," he warns them.

Soon the bell rings. Both Ruby and Quinn head out the door before everybody else. "Thanks for that, Quinn," Ruby says to her."

"Anytime, Rue," she tells her as she throws her arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "Alec was just being a dick as usual. Don't listen to him."

"Like I'll ever listen to him. I just don't get why people are so disgusted by straight people."

Quinn looks at her. "I always forget that straightness always fascinated you. That's just how the world works, Rue. Look around you. Gays are everywhere. See!"

Two girls were walking down the halls with their hands interlocked together. Another couple were of boys who hugged each other before heading to another class. Most of the public displays of affection disgusted Ruby, but she simply ignores it.

Suddenly, their friend, Chord walked up next to them. He was lanky with bright orange hair, thick-framed glasses, and freckles. "Hey, Quinn, I heard last period you kicked Alec Hastings in the balls and called him a douche," he informed them.

"Ha, very funny," Quinn sarcastically remarks. "Not entirely true. He was being heterophobic to Ruby."

"So that's it? Well he can just stick it up his ass. That's what we're talking about, Quinny." They give each other a high five.

"Okay, okay." Ruby calms them down. She is usually uncomfortable with her friends taunting people, but she goes along with it. "Can we just go to lunch?"

The three of them walked to the cafeteria where they were serving sloppy joes. Even though the food was unsatisfying, Ruby would never complain about it. Ruby wasn't really the type to speak her mind. She has always kept to herself while Chord and Quinn ran their mouths.

At their usual table, which was next to the trash can, Quinn didn't eat the sloppy joe due to being vegetarian. "Why can't they make something with no meat?" She whines.

Chord took a bite of his sandwich and says with food in his mouth, "What else do we do with cows, Quinn?"

"Could you try talking without food in your mouth, Chord?" Ruby politely asks him. "No offense...but you're dropping food on the table."

"Oh, come on, Rue. There's nothing wrong with being a little messy." He wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Hey, did you guys meet the new kid?"

"Who is this guy?" Ruby asked. "Any more people we can pick on? I'm really getting tired of calling Zoey Pritchett 'Froggy Lips.'"

Once he was finished with his sandwich, Chord answered, "A new guy. I gotta admit that he's pretty good-looking." He raised his eyebrow.

"Ooh, another daydream of penis envy for Chord." Quinn laughs. "You wanna marry him and have his adopted babies?"

Chord smiles in response making his friends laugh. "Wow, Chord," Ruby laughs. "We better be the godmothers of those lucky, little fellas."

"Hey, you guys would be the maids of honor at my wedding. I'm scarlet red bridesmaids dresses with sweetheart necklines and roses in your hair."

Quinn frowns. "Hell no, Chord. There is no fuckin' way that I'm putting any flowers in my hair."

"Oh, come on, Quinn." Ruby whines to her like a child. "It's for Chord. If you want Chord to be naked at your wedding, I bet he would be proudly dancing on the floor in his birthday suit."

Seeing the little puppy look on Ruby's face grossed Quinn out. "Rue, if Chord wanted you to jump off a cliff, would you?" She asks her best friend.

For a moment, Ruby pauses. "You got a point there, Quinn. Why the fuck would I do that?"

Before anything else could happen, a familiar person clutches his shoulder from behind. "Hey, Carrot Top, you know I heard that women are starting to want penises," the boy joked. "Don't worry though. You're next on the list."

It was none other than Kristian Barnes. The tall, bulky senior who constantly picks on the group of friends since their sophomore year. Chord didn't want to hear it, but he replied, "Hey, Kris, you know eventually the zookeepers will know that the great rhino is missing from the zoo. So watch out before they find you." After he said that, Ruby and Quinn snickered as Kris bit his lip.

"Alright, you little bastard, you better watch your back," he warns him.

Quinn clears her throat and says, "We can't even see our backs, dumbass. Have some common sense."

He turns to her and coos, "Oh, so cute of you defending your stupid boyfriend. What are you looking at?" Kris glances at Ruby.

The certain question gave Ruby the opportunity to insult him back. It was always Quinn and Chord who defend her. Now its her chance. "Well I see an obnoxious, lazy ass who apparently has nothing better to do but annoy the living hell out of us."

Kris paused for a moment. "Okay, bitch. Shouldn't you be sucking dick?"

"Shouldn't you be in bed with a blow-up doll?" She insults him back.

"Oh, yeah, like a hetero like you would know that. I know like sucking dick more than kissing ass." His last comment made Ruby's chest burn a bit. When Kris was ready to walk away, Ruby sticks her foot. Kris takes a step and trips over Ruby' s foot. He goes falling like a tree after being chopped down.

It caught everyone's attention once Kris stood up. Compared to him, Ruby was a dwarf. "You want some of this?" He growls at her.

"I don't want any of that. Who would?" Ruby makes another smart remark. Because of that, Kris angrily pushed her. Due to being smaller, Ruby falls back onto the ground.

Before he could do anything else, Chord stood up and poured his Big Red on top of his head. The Big Red flowed down Kris's head like a water fall. Quinn warns him, "Push her again and I will end you."

"Oh, really?" Kris scoffs. "I bet you hit like a little bitch, don't you?"

His insult unleashes rage inside of Quinn. "Okay, I'm about to cut your fat ass so much that you're gonna be shitting sideways."

Behind him was their principal, Mrs. Kincaid, with her arms crossed. "You four in my office now," she commanded.

The four of them followed her to her office. Kris was that first to go into her office. Ruby, Chord, and Quinn sat in the chairs on the hallway waiting to go in.

"Out of any consolation, this is the first I ever got us in trouble," Ruby mentions. It was either Quinn or Chord who would get in trouble and she would be there for them.

Chord chuckles. "True that. Congratulations, Ruby. But we all know that she's gonna listen to Kris so we are doomed."

"Well he can just die of gonorhea and rot in hell," Quinn mutters. "It was his fault. She's never gonna believe us."

"Maybe she'll believe Ruby." He suggested.

After a few more minutes of sitting there, Kris walked out of the office. Kincaid says, "Quinn, Chord, I need to talk to you both. Ruby, please wait out here."

Both of them rolled their eyes and walked towards her office. Kincaid stops them and tells Quinn, "Take off that piercing. You know better, Quinn." Once she took it off, they went into her office and closed the door behind them.

Kris looks down at Ruby and breathes, "You are lucky, you know that."

"You got freakishly perky tits, you know that." She responded.

He walks away leaving Ruby by herself. As she waits in awkward silence, Ruby taps her foot on the floor. Everybody was already in class since nobody was in the hallway. Mrs. Kincaid was a very strong, determined woman, but she was also the strictest person. She once wrote up Ruby for wearing a shirt that showed a bit of cleavage.

"Rough day, uh?" A voice startled her. Ruby turns to her left to find an unfamiliar stranger. "Oh, sorry for scaring you." Living in Lawrence all her life, Ruby had never seen him before. He was very tall with raven black hair. The guy had the most unique green eyes and he had on a Led Zeppelin T-shirt.

"No, no, it's fine," she anxiously answered. "W-Who are you?"

"I'm new here. I mean my name is not New. I meant that I'm a new kid. My name is Derek. Derek Harvelle." He finally introduces himself.

"Ruby." She says his name. "So you're new here?"

"Yes, I don't know where my next class is. Do you know where Mooney is?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to be in there. You keep walking down this hall and turn right. His classroom is the the third one. It's easy to find."

"Thanks, Ruby. What are you in here for?" He asked her.

"I'm about to get my ass chewed out by Kincaid for something I didn't do." She answers.

"Ooh, sorry about that. I'll see you later, Ruby." He walks away leaving Ruby by herself again. While he walks down the long hallway, Ruby kept looking at him. She just couldn't take her eyes off of him.