Lions Pride: Mean Girls Next Generation

2

Upon arriving in the crowded gymnasium, Clara could finally take a breath of relief. She was out of the spotlight, and could comfortably relax with her true friends as she failed to succeed at whatever sport being forced on them that day. Today, it was flag football.

"Ahh, Clara! You're finally here! We thought we were going to have to suffer alone today!" Charlotte smirked leaning on arm against the wall patted with blue and yellow mats.

"Gotta love the smell of sweat, uncontrollable teenage angst, topped with a cherry of overly fed egos belonging to those who think their top shit because they can throw a ball that looks like Stewie Griffin's head." Shepherd hammered off eyeing the circle of jocks preparing to "body slam" each other into submission for fun.

"I'll never get it..." Clara shook her head partly in amusement over Shepherd's comment, and partly in disgust over the unfair stereotypes that still, in present day acted as some sort of accomplishment hung high over the heads of anyone else unlucky enough to not meet the requirements. "All they do is throw and catch a ball...then come into school and be jerks..."

"Now Clara, football isn't as easy as it sounds...they deserve at least some credit for their craft...what makes them jerks is the fact they use their craft as a way to be better than everyone else..." Naomi chimed in. Unlike most people, Clara, Charlotte and Shepherd didn't hate Naomi. She definitely had her moments...but hate? No.

"Okay sure, but look at them! Their running around acting all cool because they get to wear those letterman jackets!" Shepherd challenged

"My Momma got one of those in school for being part of the mathletes." Clara remembered the old blue and yellow jacket that's now being stored in an old box at the back of their closet.

"Really? Huh, I guess I should've figured your mother was decent at math in school...she's is an AP calculus professor..." Naomi thought out loud.

Cutting off the conversation was the P.E. teacher's, Coach Carr's, whistle. As he rounded up the class, he clasped his hands together in thought. Something that worried the whole class. Then, his loud powerful voice echoed through the gymnasium like a bullet ricocheting off of steel walls.

"Jesus!" Shepherd jumped startled, "Thanks for the forced heart palpitations!" He mumbled bringing a hand to his chest.

"The dude has no chill..." Charlotte muttered repositioning herself on the floor.

"Also, sitting on the floor was fine when we were in kindergarten...now, we've got acetabulofemoral joints, and gluteus maximus's that get in the way!" Naomi whined fidgeting on the hard wood of the floor

"Uh...in English please?" Charlotte groaned

"Her hips and ass...do lie." Shepherd whispers back

"Today the day! We're talking about why you all...shouldn't have sex!" Coach Carr basically shouted, "And maybe you group of children will actually take my advice, because looking around...I can see a good half of you are spawns from former students of mine. They didn't listen to the warning! What, did they all decide to procreate in the same year?!"

"Coach Carr? This is P.E. class...not health..." A kid from the back mentioned.

"Ohh I see! You're to good to learn about why if you have sex...you'll die!"

"Um...sir, I don't think that's actually—"

Coach Carr pointed his finger sharply at the student, "If you have sex, you will die!"

Clara facepalmed. Gym is already a class she would rather do without, having an actual psychotic teacher only spikes her anxiety to a whole new level.

"Alright, now we can start flag football. Now, here's my balls!" Coach Carr shouted throwing two footballs to the student in the back. "Cradle them gently...make sure your grip doesn't slip!"

"Oh dear god..." Clara mumbled hugging her knees tightly. "Ms Norbury was right...I really never does get any easier..."

"The innuendos that come out of this guy are....quite astounding sometimes." Shepherd chuckled in disbelief

"It's like he's completely and utterly oblivious to what he's saying!" Naomi covered her face with her hand. "One minute he's telling us sex will lead to our deaths and the next...he's dropping sexual themes in his lesson like...like it's nothing!"

The fire alarm going off was one of the biggest reliefs of the children's day. Anything that could get them out of Coach Carr's class was always welcome.

"Alright! Everyone, the line is here! Who has my balls?" Coach Carr asked standing at the front of the line like Jack and Rose perched on the front of the Titanic's bow.

"Um...I do. Do you want them back?" The poor girl mumbled with a red face

"My balls? Yes, I would enjoy getting my balls back, thank you."

Shepherd groaned, "I don't know about you all but...I'm not dying in a fire because of our pervy gym teacher couldn't keep it in his pants." He then began his march outside with the rest of the class following close behind.

The field was now filled with the whole school lined in synchronization split up by classes. Clara hugged herself close, wearing only a tank top and shorts from being in gym class, the wind felt like buckets of ice water being dumped on her from all sides....just without having to feel the cold liquid.

"Why can't they ever have these when it's...actually warm outside?" Clara whined using Shepherd as a windbreaker.

"More importantly, why would they force us out in public while we look like this?!" Shepherd dramatically motioned down to the blue shirt and black shorts of the North Shore's gym uniform. "It's like they actually want me to barf all over myself every time I get dressed in this disaster of fashion."

"Oh, so your leopard print jeans aren't a disaster of fashion?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow

"Of course not! My amazing—Naomi, what's that fancy thing you call hips again?"

"Your acetabulofemoral joints?"

"Right! My acetabulofemoral joints can rock. it. better than Lady Gaga in "A Star Is Born'"!

A faint smile crossed Clara's lips, her friends could always make her smile no matter what. A lot has been on her mind recently, it's nearing the end of the 1st semester of her Jr year, and between school work and home life, the girl has had no breaks.

"Uh...Clara? Do..you know that guy?" Charlotte asked taking notice of a guy stood a few lines away waving like a maniac at her.

Instantly, the girl's heart dropped, her skin crawled in remembrance. She never thought she'd ever see his face again. She never thought she'd ever have to face the consequences of her past decisions. The ones she wished every night before bed would just vanish from her memory along with any proof they ever happened to begin with.

"Shit." Clara mumbled with her eyes shut tightly to the point it felt her eyeballs were being pushed into her skull. "Shepherd, hide me."