I sat alone in the school cafeteria. Sitting alone was not at all something that I was used to, considering that I was one of the most popular athletes back at Canterlot High. Oddly enough, this school doesn't seem to have sports teams, which is a big disappointment.
You know what else is disappointing about this school? The food. It looks like glorified toxic sludge, prepared with no heart or thought whatsoever. Of course, it's most likely inedible. I picked at the meal on my tray (they called it "chicken fried steak") skeptically with a spork. Two girls walked by my table, probably gossiping to one another.
"That new girl's such a freak," the blonde said. My ears perked up. Were they talking about me?
"What's her name? Rachel?" her friend, a short girl with brown hair, asked.
"She's been here long enough to make some friends, like that freak Taylor."
"I heard they were fighting in the courtyard."
"Maybe that's how those two communicate, through fights. Maybe this new girl can't speak."
"But she's all by herself. Not having friends is just...weird."
I stood up and pushed my tray to the side. "Alright," I said aloud. "I guess I'm gonna scope out some friends."
I looked towards a table. Two kids were sharing a cupcake. At another table, Taylor sat with another girl. They think that I'm friends with her? I immediately turned away.
I approached a darker corner of the cafeteria, where a few kids sat at a table. One girl had glasses and black, curly hair cut short. Another girl was slim with brown hair and glasses. The two were arguing loudly, but didn't seem mad at each other. It was almost like they were...singing.
"I'm looking for somebody to be my friend," I said.
"BECAUSE I AM THE LORD, LORD, LORD OF DIAMOND SWOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!" the two girls sang loudly. They ended their song with loud cheering and clapping, despite the fact that the tables surrounding them were annoyed by the song.
The girl with the black hair turned to see me. "Oh, hi. Would you like to sit here?"
I nodded and sat down next to her. Across from me sat another girl, a friend of these two. She wore a black-and-gray hoodie and her short hair was in a ponytail. "Hey, girl!" She stood up and got in my face, pushing her chest against mine.
"Do you want to sing again, Ivy?" the slim girl with the glasses asked.
"Yeah," Ivy replied. "Any other songs?"
"Nah, my throat's dry." The slim girl took a sip from her skim milk carton. Ivy looked almost disappointed.
"Why do you guys scream so much? Like, what do you get out of it?" I asked. The three girls turned to see me, like they had forgotten that I was there.
"We're expressing our individuality," the slim girl began.
"Nobody else does it," Ivy added.
"It's fun to scream," the girl who had gotten in my face said.
"I don't know how you guys could ever be my friends," I muttered, standing up and walking away.
I ended up at another table, where three kids were. "Okay, who wants to be my best friend?"
The three kids smiled.
"I have devised some simple tests to determine who is the best." I knocked over a carton of milk. "Clean this up."
The first kid left. The second one just sat there, while the third got on the floor, holding a wad of napkins. She began to clean the mess up, only stopping to push her blond bangs out of the way.
"The next thing I'll test is your speed in an obstacle course. Make it from one end of the cafeteria to the next. Running into something or someone is a penalty."
The two kids stood, ready to run. I pulled out my phone, which had a pretty nifty stopwatch app.
"On your mark, get set, go!"
They were off, navigating their way through the labyrinth that was a high school cafeteria. The second, who had decided to stand around during the absorbency test, ran into quite a few students. Her penalties were growing higher and higher. The third, however, was fast. She swerved and jumped her way through the cafeteria and even cleaned up some trays of food on the way.
"Time's up!" I turned off my stopwatch. The girl with the blond hair was the winner.
"We have a winner! What's your name?"
She smiled. "My name is Dana! Wow, I've never won anything before!" She wrapped her arms around me, embracing me in a hug. "I'll be the bestest, most loyalest friend ever!"
I had led Dana to the table where the two gossiping girls from before sat.
"I'd like you all to meet Dana. She's my best friend."
The blond girl who had mocked me scoffed. "Whatever."
I could see the jealously in her eyes. "Not your best friend! Mine! Dana is mine!"
"Get lost, losers!"
I nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll get lost." I led Dana out of the cafeteria.
"But I'm getting lost with my best friend."