- HIGH HIGH - Tales of Suburban Cyberpunk - Started by Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne -This part by Jonatan Streith - Episode 6: Much ado about school starts --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around 6:30 am, a hydronuclear explosion lit up on the horizon, shedding high-energy residue on everything in its direct path. Or, as most people in Suburbia preferred to put it, the sun rose, welcoming the day. However, this was no ordinary day. This day, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it only occurred once every year-period, was etched deeply in the minds of young students everywhere. The beginning of the school year. This was the day when the summer ended; when all the fun and games had to stop, and you once again had to become Joe Student, aspiring cog in the capitalist machinery. Unlike the school day after this day, and the days after that, this was the day when you had to to confront the fact that, yes, the summer is over now. It left many young students shell-shocked, often resulting in mental scarring, nervous breakdowns, and restaurant massacres. About an hour later, in one of the clone houses littering the area, a holoscreen lit up. "Fzzzzzzz--and in later news: the rumors regarding the rumors that the rumors saying that Stomach Contents are going to break up are true, are completely false and fabricated. Quoting band member Wazoo, "'S all right, man." Memorable words, people. Next, Mental Asylum's 'Buy this--" At this point, an empty soda can flew through the screen and hit the control panel on the other side, turning the screen off. Because there is no time like the present, Benton climbed out of his bed, and stretched in a way that would have been highly fanservicey, had anyone been watching. As no audience presented itself, he yawned, nearly falling asleep again like most non-morning people tend to do. Muttering softly about something that could, after some translation, be interpreted as "first day", he dragged some clothing over himself and set out for breakfast. --- Breakfast. The most important meal in the day. Any sensible kid who valued their health and mind knew that you needed a well-balanced breakfast rich in fiber, nutrition and essential vitamins. Jody opted for fiber, and made a mental note to get the nutrition and vitamins on a morning when she wasn't running late. She poured some milk on her Wheat Treaties (Wheat Treaties, they're magically suspicious!) and dug in, just as the HoloPhone lit up. Chewing crispy boiled wheat, she turned it on, and was greeted with the face of Julie, the gossip queen. "Hiii!" Julie exclaimed, grinning. *crunch crunch* "Hi. What do you want?" Jody returned to her chewing. "Nothing special, I just wanted to chat a bit. Say, anything happened at the dance a few days ago? I saw you sneaking off..." The girl winked knowingly. Jody shrugged. "I just went to talk to the DJ. Nothing strange there, is there?" "Of course, of course." Not pursuing the topic further, she continued, "Anyway, did you know that John Carson got drunk and tried to start a fight? He got thrown out. I'll have to ask his girlfriend about it. And yesterday I saw Mandy with some Yttian guy, and--" "I have to go now," Jody interrupted, finishing up her cereal. "I'm late." "No you're not," Julie said. "School doesn't start until 8:00." "Yeah, but I promised to pick up some friends along the way." "Your boyfriends, you mean?" Julie grinned. "Oh, shut up." Jody turned off the screen and left the kitchen, sliding on her driving gloves as she trudged out. (during the last few weeks, Benton had explained the significance of 'accents', personal items you wore to make yourself stand out a bit in the High High crowd; since she used them most of the time anyway, she had opted to use her gloves and running shoes.) A few seconds later, the Traffic Smasher was roaring down the road. --- A few minutes later, the Traffic Smasher came to a screeching halt outside Benton's house. Hearing this, the art student opened his window and leapt out. Now, for most people, this would have ended with them crashing to the ground, hurt and possibly injured. Benton, however, had decided that it would be cool to have a monofilament cord stretched from his window down to the gutter. Useful for flashy exits. Having a brain the size of a house doesn't mean you're too old to play; it just means you can come up with more cool toys. Landing at the edge of the garden, he let go of the sliding handle (which zipped back up so it could be used again) and climbed into the passenger seat. "Hi, *yawn* Jody," he yawned. "Tired?" she asked as they sped away. "Wait a sec, I have just the thing..." She leaned forward and turned on the stereo. Three seconds of ear-piercingly loud Rock music later, Benton managed to turn it off. "I think... I'm awake now." "Good for you." She smiled, and sped up a bit further. "So where do we pick up Mitch?" "Well, he said he had a morning appointment, but..." --- "...no, it's a common case of idealism," Mitch explained. "Since it's impossible for you to become personal with the girl of your dreams, you idealise her and picture her as perfection. But it's not real." The middle-aged man looked indecisive and cast another glance at the console, before finally letting go of the controller. "You're right. It's silly, I'll never get to meet her in real life anyway." He tried to smile bravely; it wobbled a bit and threatened to break at any moment, but held. "How can I thank you, doctor?" Mitch smiled and patted the patient on the shoulder. "You can start by paying your bill. And get a girlfriend." The patient took out his credit chip and transferred the requested amount over to Mitch's account. As he staggered out of the mostly deserted arcade, Mitch added, "Call me in two weeks and let me know how it's turned out!" "Another client, another soul living a better life." He puffed his chest a little. "Mitch, you humanitarian you." He looked up and down the street outside the arcade; no Traffic Smasher within sight. He looked at his watch, and then looked around again. He fished a credit out of his pocket. "Might as well pass some time with the highly seductive games..." A low, rumbling sound could be heard in the distance. "Hmm?" Picking up volume, the familiar engine sound could soon be heard over the din of the morning traffic, until a familiar Yttian monster car rounded the corner, accompanied by the sound of tortured rubber. "There you are!" Mitch exclaimed, running up to the car. "Where did you two go off to?" "Lay it off and get in," Jody retorted. "I was just a bit late, is all. If you had a phone..." Mitch shook his head. "Phones represent the opressive society, forcing the individual into the role of the indentured servant under permanent surveillance. By not carrying a phone, I maintain my individualism and freedom as a liberated chaotic influence within an overly ordered society. "...no you're not," Benton protested. "You just like to annoy people by not being easy to reach." "Ack!" Mitch clutched his chest in a mock gesture. "You have figured out my master plan! Now I shall have to kill you." This prompted a brief but fierce war which lasted for an entirety of five minutes, at which point Jody threatened to throw them off the car. --- At High High, students in large quantities poured in with great trepidation. The trio pulled up in the parking lot, disembarked, and joined the flow. "Sure is hectic," Jody observed. "Is it always like this?" "Nah, just during the first days," Mitch replied. "It's a behavioristic thing." He stepped aside to let through a small gaggle of uniform-clad students. "Say, are we going to the mall later?" He looked thoughtful. "If this schedule isn't too stocked..." Jody looked it over, and gagged. "Maybe a quick stop before they close. I can't believe the amount of homework I'm going to get..." "Perfect..." Mitch said, smiling in a not at all pleasant fashion. "Just perfect." "We're not going to reprogram the elevator music again, are we?" Benton warned. "We've done that thrice already. It's no fun when you repeat the gag too much." Mitch shook his head dismissively. "Not that one. I had another in mind... something involving the advertisement holoscreens... see, I--" Benton looked at his watch and shook his head. "Later, Mitch. Class starts right about... now." He hurried away. "Well, see ya after class, Mitch," Jody said. "Yeah, later." They both headed off in opposite directions. --- Art class was taught by Mr. Higgins, AKA The Amazing Bald Wonder. Various rumors had circulated about how he lost his hair, but everyone now agreed that he had torn it out in frustration. Why? Being head of the Art department, he constantly feared being cut down... especially given who his students were. All three of them. Currently, his students were presenting some of the creations they had been assigned to do. "Very good, Benton. Clearly a fascinating piece representing invulnerable naivety... what do you call it?" Benton shrugged. "'Five tin cans held together with toothpicks' should fit." Nodding, the teacher turned to the second artwork, a short movie by Francis. "The basic idea is about these five persons representing the five pillars of the infrastructure of today's society," Francis helpfully explained, "only they want to destroy society, because, you know, today's society is like a cancer eating up itself, and--" "I'm sure it's very interesting," Mr. Higgins interrupted. "We'll view it later." He turned away from Francis, who happily continued to ramble about visions, stage presence and the importance of good lighting, and turned to the third artwork, held by its creator, who was patiently waiting for her turn. It was... ...a watercolor of a pink bunny. Only his vast experience as a teacher prevented Mr. Higgins from crying in front of the students. His toupee nearly fell off when he facepalmed. "Isn't it CUUUUTE?!?" Annie exclaimed hyperactively, smiling and giggling oh so cutely. Because this was Annie, with her cute little round face and dimples and who decorated her uniform with pink bows and happy buttons and who ALWAYS giggled and ACK! [We apologize for the interruption, as the author had to be medicated for sudden insuline seizures. The fanfic will now continue. -Ed.] A true suburbanite, isolated from all the not-nice stuff in the city, Annie's parents had signed her up for Art, believing that she had the talent to become a great painter. So far, the only talent she had shown was the talent to draw nothing but bunnies and duckies... the only reason Mr. Higgins hadn't flunked her was the fact that all departments had a minimum of three students, meaning that she, Benton and Francis were the only things that kept him alive and working. Besides, if he threw her out, she'd cry, and he didn't have the ear drums for that. Sometimes it sucked to be a teacher. "Yes, it's very... cute," Mr. Higgins wearily said. "Now, have you taken into consideration what I said about drawing something different?" "Hmm... no," Annie said, looking thoughtful (in a cute manner). "I like bunnies. And duckies. Tee-hee!" "How about doing a nice victorian house or a landscape painting?" the teacher asked, almost pleadingly. "With bunnies?" "No." "Duckies?" *sigh* "No." "But that's not fuuun..." She pouted a little and turned to Benton. "Benton, who was that girl walking with you in the hall?" "Hmm?" Benton snapped out of his trance, the pencil he'd tried to balance on his finger falling to the desk. "Oh, just Jody." "She's not very cute. Wanna come over for a tea party today?" She giggled again, locking her big, starry eyes on him. "Um..." Benton stiffened. He had once, once only, agreed to having a tea party with her (and her legion of stuffed toys), and it had not been a pleasant experience (however her wailing when he at first declined HAD been even more unpleasant, really). "Um... well, I..." Quick, use your amazing intellect to come up with a distraction! "Now, let us move on to art study," Mr. Higgins interrupted. "Francis, would you please explain the prevailing ideas of 1970's cubism?" Whew, saved by the Bald Wonder, Benton thought. --- Time passed. The hectic morning classes came and went, with short and even more hectic breaks in between, until lunchtime arrived. Today's dish was pink stuff, green stuff, yellow tuby things that (possibly) were some kind of fries, and mysterious meat. "Yum, High High cafeteria food," Benton mused as he put down his tray. "A taste you'll never forget. No matter how hard you try." "It doesn't look that bad..." Jody protested, setting down her own tray. She took a forkful of the pink stuff and put it in her mouth, and almost spat it out again. "Ugh. Do they buy chemical waste and serve, or do they mix it themselves." "It's healthy food, but nothing more," Benton commented, digging into his meal. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the flavor. Either that or you starve." "Huh." She took a few more tries. "I suppose starvation MIGHT be more unpleasant." Mitch detached from the food queue and took the seat next to Jody. "Ah, Jody. I see you haven't spontaneously combusted yet. Good, good." He took a few tuby things and popped them into his mouth. "Ah, the blessed flavor of monosodiumglutamate. And speaking of combustion... Jody, do you think you can make some fire for me?" Jody blinked. "Huh?! Why do you need ME for that? Can't you just get some matches?" Mitch clutched his forehead. "Silly me. I meant a digital illustration of a fire. 3-D. I'd ask Benton, but I need it on the computer." "Sure, I can get one somewhere," Jody replied. "Is it for this gag you have planned?" "Yeah, it's..." His gaze locked on something in the distance. "Oh ho. Pardon me for a while." He got up and strode purposefully across the cafeteria, target set on a specific table. "Oh, for crying out loud," Benton said around a piece of meat. "Another one?" "Seems like it..." Jody squinted at the table the amorous psychologist was heading for. "Get a load of this. It's Lindsey." "Lindsey?" Benton asked in mild astonishment. "As in Lindsey, the completely messed-up biotech? Lindsey, the Dirty Dozen-wannabe? Lindsey, the chick who very nearly got us in jail after turning one of our gags into a bad horror movie?" Jody nodded. "That Lindsey. I bet she's still pissed." "Sometimes," Benton mused, "I wonder if Mitch is a latent masochist." "Hello, Lindsey," Mitch said suavely, arriving at the table. "Goodbye, Mitch," Lindsey replied, not bothering to look up. Unfazed, Mitch continued, "You know, it's really nice to see you." "I almost wish I could say the same about you. Almost." "So... doing anything this friday?" He boosted his smile a few more levels, which of course was wasted on the biotech, as she still didn't look up. "Yes. Eating dinner not with you." "Aww..." He winked. "Still angry because we ruined your little power display, love?" Now she looked up, eyes burning under her scarred brow. "You ruin my best, most well-laid plan, and YOU ASK ME IF I'M ANGRY?!" "Yes?" "Ngh." She clutched her face as if in pain, got up, and stormed off, leaving her meal half unfinished. Mitch shrugged. "Worth a try, at least." --- Programming class would be fun, Jody decided as she entered the computer lab. Until she caught sight of the assignment board for the day. "Erk." She shivered. "How are we going to finish THAT much?" "Well, fancy meeting you here," an almost human voice said from behind her. Jody turned around to see the world's only walking red-haired computer, Wireless. She smiled at the sight of the electronics-bedecked kid. True, Wireless was probably nuttier than a treeful of squirrels, but so was most people here anyway. And he was fun, in an easy-going way. "Hi, Wireless. Looks like we'll have some classes together after all." "Splendiferous, absalutely splendid." He pulled out a chair and sat down. Jody took the seat next to him. "So do we have to do all that stuff?" She indicated the board, making a gagging motion. He grinned. "Welcome to High High." --- THE BEGINNING Author's notes: Whee. I'm finally finished, after more than a week of procrastination and idea-harvesting. And it's... 19 kb. I'm seriously questioning my ability to write these days. *Ahem* Anyway, it WAS fun to write this (when I had an actual idea, that is). I've been a long-time fan of Stefan's FWLS stories, especially "Tales of the Sunny City", which High High is loosely based off. (For those of you wondering, I'm kinda regarding most of that as canon; I've made a few references to events, and also refs to the FWLS universe. You don't have to follow this if you don't want to.) Even though I doubt I'd ever manage to equal the Master's writing, I felt excited about writing this. I was planning to continue on Scrowl's quest, but I decided that the school start would take up too much spotlight. I also had plans for a gag, as Mitch says he has an idea, but I scrapped it... it would have looked too clunky attaching it on the end. Besides, I kinda liked the end line. ^_^ Thanks go to: Myth-neechan, for letting me in on this early, letting me sign up, and generally encouraging me. Philip Barkow, for prereading and support. Unfortunately I only managed to send him a couple of drafts. Our mail server is doing Kenny impressions. Stefan Gagne, for being a great author, for turning this into a starter, and for letting me see his notes, which included several new characters that were just too cool not to be included. DDD compliance be damned, I wanted to introduce them all. ^_^ Thanks, boss, you're the greatest. Good luck on the new Slayers fic. And finally you, for reading this episode, and bearing with my ramblings. Now go and sign up for another part. I'm sure you'll do even better. Well, that's all! Good night, godspeed, see you on the flip side!