Chapter Text
Ginger anxiously paced through the halls. The stares and turns she got because she was new was horribly nerve-wracking. Turning a sharp corner, confused of her whereabouts, she ran directly into Cosmo, her cousin.
"Cosmo! Oh how I'm glad to see you. This place is bigger than the last scho-" A cheery voice interrupted her.
"Ginger! This is Sprout, my best friend. And I can show you around if you like." The cookie stared Sprout up and down, examining him like he was a lamp in the living room that felt a little off.
"Hello, Sprout."
'If Cosmo likes him, i guess I'll be friendly enough.'
She gave a sweet smile and held her hand out to shake his. He turned the handshake away with a slight nod and greeting. A little weird, but it's whatever. Not anything to be concerned about.
Cosmo introducted Ginger and Sprout for each other, spitting out flying sentences neither could hear properly. A couple words were decipherable.
"Cooking class- Home ec! Sprout and me.." Nothing too important they couldn't figure out on their own. He kept talking about them 'til it felt as if he was speaking to himself. His gasps for more air before continuing managed to seamlessly muffle the unmistakable ring of the bell.
Ginger cut into the practically indistinct words. "Well.. uh, was that the bell?" That got Cosmo to shut up. The trio looked at each other in silence. It was the bell, yes, but the one for class to start.
^_^>_<^_^>_<
Ginger stepped into the history room three minutes late. Luckily, Ms. Mendez is nice enough to let 5 minutes slip by. "I- uh- I'm sorry Ms. uhh.. Mendez! For being late." A flush of red-tinted embarassment filled her face.
"Oh well, you're all good. Class, this is our new student, Ginger. please be nice to her. Ginger, you can go sit right next to Astro in the back."
She internally thanked every god she knew that she didn't need to do an introduction. Plopping herself, into the seat next to the moon boy, she fiddled with her pen and zoned out. She reminisced on her old school with her other friends, Rudie, Natalie, Coal (the dog), and that absolute BADDIE that she totally-didn't-have-a-crush-on Bobette.
Looking up and coming back to her senses, she noticed Astro asleep on the desk. She lightly pokes his shoulderto check if he's awake. With no response, she tries at it again. When that doesn't work she gently asks if he's okay.
"Huh..? Oh! I'm sorry.... Did you need something?" He waits tiredly for her response.
"Oh sorry, just wanted to make sure you were alright." Ginger took a mental note on Astro's sleepiness. Wouldn't want to bother him like she did just now, especially when she's still aiming for good impressions with her classmates. Astro went back to silently snoozing on the desk like before. Somehow, Ms. Mendez didn't seem to notice his head laying sideways on the desk.
Ginger relaxed her head on the inside of her twisted palm, ignoring the lesson untill it was free work time.
'Gosh, this is a bore.'
She walked to a secluded corner. Perfect. No one can bother her now.
An unfamiliar face gracefully stepped towards her, the type of pattern one could go easily undetected by. Ginger silently observed her. She seemed to be uhh.. Ginger forgot the words. A T.A..
"Hello!! I'm Shelly Fossilian, but you can call me Shelly. What's your name new girl?" Shelly exclaimed, eager.
Shelly. She'd definitely struggle remembering that. She decided just her name would work. What meant to be a friendly reply to her question came out as a quiet mumble in a gloomy tone, contrasting her thoughts.
"Oh uh, can you please repeat that?" Her voice dimmed.
Ginger tried again. "G-Ginger.." The ammonite's face lit up with joy, and before she knew it, words tumbled out of her mouth and to her new companion, Ginger.
'Her and Cosmo would definitely be friends alright.'
She ranted about why she wasn't taking history, adding in some half-finished stories of her adventures before moving on to why she isn't in the next grade (Shelly only was ahead in history).
Although Shelly was talking so fast she might swallow her tongue at this point, one thing caught the cookie's attention. She had said something about.. Astro? A little odd, but she answered.
"Uhm.. That question about Astro, yeah, I sit next to him. Why do you ask?" She chimed in. That made Shelly stop. She was quick to answer with red-faced excuses.
"Well-! I just wanna-Er.. Out of curiosity, ya know?"
She just gingerly nodded at the response. The familiar ring-a-ling went off the second time, and her newfound friend skedaddled out the door.
Looking at the schedule, she whined about lunch next. I mean really, seriouly? It's practically 10:00! Ginger accepted the horrid lunch they were serving today and treaded towards the All-purpose-room (cafeteria).