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"TAKE ONE! Savanna High sucks!" Viraj said, holding his smartphone. It was one of those cheap branded phones with a pixelated camera. Viraj began beatboxing with one hand while zooming the phone directly on Stevie's nose. She smiled.
"Cut it out, Chanda. You're going to make the movie weird. Only my mom listens to beatboxing," Stevie said.
Milly had spent the past three days following Viraj and Stevie around. It was like they were parent ducks, and she was the baby. She was still pinching herself— I have friends?
They were so nice. Milly was nervous and had nothing to say, yet they still included her. Whenever she got too quiet, they would ask Milly what she thought.
"Miss Milly!" Viraj pointed to the camera. "Why do you think Savanna High sucks?"
"Everyone is a snake. Oh, except you guys," she corrected.
"Exactly! They are all slithering, conniving snakes! We are the tragic heroes in this world," Viraj said, kneeling on the ground before wiping a fake tear from his eye.
Stevie laughed. "Milly, see what I have to deal with? I'm glad you're here so I'm not alone with The Chan-Man."
"Hey! It's The Spectacular Chan-Man to you," Viraj said.
Milly laughed. She actually laughed. She felt a strange sensation in her chest and wondered if she was dying for a second.
Not that Viraj was ugly or weird, but Stevie was beautiful—like actually runway-model beautiful. Her naturally bleached blonde hair made her look Nordic or Russian. Why was she bottom-feeding with Viraj and Milly? Milly looked like a bush lady. Stevie could totally be a popular girl. But on the other hand, she wasn't mean or petty. She was cool like ice. She didn't dress like a popular girl either. She wore track pants and oversized hoodies. Sometimes she would wear her big, thick-framed glasses and she looked like a dork.
"Time to take some interviews," Stevie said.
"Oh, look, it's Rosa Cristina!" Viraj said.
Rosa turned upon hearing her name. She furrowed her eyebrows. She always looked mean—Stevie was prettier than her. It was strange that they were just going up to the enemy to talk so casually.
"Who are you?" she said. Rosa only entertained this because the camera was on her.
"We are Savanna High FilmSoc, and we are making a film," Viraj said.
"Oh? Then you'll definitely want me," Rosa said. "I am the best of this school. Everyone else is so underwhelming. You're going to put this online, right?"
Milly wondered where Zahra was. Normally she was the leader of the villain squad—instead, Rosa was substituting. Zahra was nowhere to be seen. Milly felt queasy when she thought about last week. She had collapsed like a dork in front of Zahra. She didn't stand up for herself like usual. Zahra had crushed her with those poisonous words. "Worthless weirdo." She felt this strange feeling build up in her body, and she couldn't move. It was like she was going to die.
But Viraj and Stevie had saved her. They inducted her into their club without a second word. They didn't want anything from her except her company.
"Hey, stop turning the camera like that," Rosa said.
"It's a Dutch angle," he said. "It's to show madness. We are approaching the beast!"
"Shove off," Rosa said, leaving.
"Who should we interview next? Milly?" Stevie said.
"How about him?" Milly pointed at a tall blonde boy who was built like a tank. Andrew Perry was the captain of the boys' basketball team and the top dog of the school. He had a very ugly, noticeable nose that jutted out of his face like a pelican. Still, he was quite popular with the girls. Maybe an acquired taste. Milly had never talked to him.
"You bastard Perry!" Viraj slapped him on the back. "Stealing all the girls from the rest of us regular guys."
Andrew frowned. "I have a girlfriend. Who are you?"
"I am The Speculator Chan-Man! King of the Savanna High FilmSoc. As we are both kings, we should trade notes," Viraj said.
"You're so weird," Andrew said, slamming his locker and walking away.
"I don't think the world is ready for The Spectacular Chan-Man," Stevie patted his head.
"I am ahead of my time. Someone, freeze me and wake me up in twenty years," he fake cried.
Jojo Minerty was a short boy with shoulder-length brown hair and circular Harry Potter glasses. His mother still chose his clothes evidently. Curious, he walked up to the trio.
"Are you making a movie?" Jojo asked Milly.
"We are making a movie about how high school sucks," she said.
"Maybe I can pitch in?" he said.
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They moved back to the empty classroom Viraj had gotten permission to have his film society in. Jojo was in the hot seat.
"Who are you, and why are you a snake?" Stevie said.
"Yeah, good one. Answer her, snake!" Viraj said.
"Woah, woah, I'm not a snake," Jojo said. "I am one of the good guys."
"I'll be the judge of that,” Viraj said, “No... Milly will be the judge of that. Milly can sense the auras of people—it's one of her abilities.”
"What? Milly, an energy sensor?" Stevie smiled at her.
"Um... Yeah... I can read your karma," she said, putting her hands on her forehead. "I am sensing that you are... a good person."
Jojo sighed in relief.
"Very good, Milly! Now that we know that he is not a snake, we can divulge the truth!" Viraj began.
"This world is secretly run by snake-people, and they have infiltrated this very school. You can't trust anyone. Rosa Cristina, Andrew Perry, Zahra Khan... all potential snake-people," he said.
"It's because they want power," Jojo said.
"Exacto-mundo!" Viraj said.
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Lunch had ended, but they had met up after school in the classroom. Jojo did not come. Maybe he thought Milly and the others were weird. Well, they were weird. Milly found herself talking about things she never thought of saying to anyone.
"So she said you were good at singing?" Stevie said.
"Yeah... It was so unexpected—I don't even know if it's true..." Milly said.
"Why do you want to be friends with Zahra anyway? She is definitely a snake," Viraj said.
"I don't want to be friends with her," she said.
"Yeah, you do," he said.
"It's textbook Stockholm Syndrome, Chanda. She has been bullied so much by these clowns that she actually needs them for socializing..." Stevie said.
"I don't know if that is how Stockholm Syndrome works," he said.
Milly needed Zahra for socializing? Maybe it was true. Before Viraj and Stevie, she had no one. Maybe deep down, she wanted Zahra to like her and accept her as her equal. They would sing together.
"Well, Miss Milly, it is time to sing for us," he said.
"Uh... I don't know," she said.
"Come on, we won't bite—besides, if you are bad, we will be honest with you," Stevie said.
”Okay… I am sorry if your ears bleed,” she said.
Milly began to hum the song to a classic rock song she loved listening to with her parents. It began slowly and then built up speed, the volume increased, and it ended on a high note.
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"Bravo! Bravo!" Viraj started clapping. "Forget the school musical—we are going to film a music video!"
"You're really good, Milly. You're a natural. Are you sure that you haven't sung before?" Stevie said.
"I sing in the shower," she said. "I get nervous."
"Nobody has ever told you were good? Not even your family?" Stevie said.
"I don't sing in front of people..." she said.
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Maybe Milly could still be in the musical. She could go and ask Mr. Zimmerman if she could have another audition. After all, she was good at singing. She had a chance to change everything about herself. She didn't have to be that aggressive, fuzzy girl. She didn't have to be an outcast.
The next day, she made her way to the theater hall to see if Mr. Zimmerman was around. Instead, she found Fred. The boy who had called her Mountain Queen. He was not alone. He was kissing this girl. They both stopped and looked at Milly as if she was a spider on the wall. There was an eerie silence, and then Milly ran out of there.
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