After Dub has left, Maia goes upstairs to check on Tami an hour before school.
Maia: *calls out* Tami! Are you ready? You don’t want to be late on your first day.
Tambara comes out of the bathroom in an outfit that makes her look years older.
Maia: You can’t wear that to school! There’s a dress code. The skirt is too short and your midriff is showing.
Tambara: You can’t be serious!
Maia: I’m very serious. Change!
Tambara: Where’s Daddy? I’ll ask him—he’ll let me wear it.
Maia grinds her teeth. This is where the parenting war between her and Dub stops.
Maia: You don’t need to ask him because I just told you no! Now change into something more appropriate for a 13-year-old.
Tami stomps into her bedroom because something in her mom’s voice warns her not to argue. She reluctantly changes into jeans and a sweater vest with a long-sleeved shirt underneath.
Tambara: *to herself* Ugh! This is how you go from being the cool kid to looking like a complete clown.
Tami’s bad mood follows her to Westside High and down the hall when she’s trying to find her locker. She wanders up and down a few times before she finds it.
Tambara: *complains to herself* You’d think they’d have someone here to help you find stuff!
There’s a guy next to her in the hallway who overhears her.
Teenage Guy: If you’re new here, you can ask the principal for a student guide for the day.
Tambara: Nobody asked you!
Teenage Guy: *shrugs* I was trying to help.
Not only is Tami mad about being forced to change clothes, but also because changing made her miss breakfast. Luckily, there are vending machines in the hallway. Tami grabs a highly processed Pepperoni Pizza Roll, hoping to eat it before class. But before she can, she’s called into the principal’s office.
Principal Tanaka: Ah, Miss Banks. Welcome to Westside High School! I’m Principal Tanaka. Please take a seat.
Tami takes a chair next to the principal’s desk and pulls out her snack.
Principal Tanaka looks up from his computer.
Principal Tanaka: Miss Banks, you cannot eat in here. Please put that away.
Tami takes a few bites, hoping to put it away in her mouth instead of her bag.
Principal Tanaka: Miss Banks! If you cannot follow the rules, then I must ask you to leave.
Tami slips the snack into her backpack.
Tambara: When am I supposed to eat then? I missed breakfast because of my mom and now I’ll miss it again because of you!
The first bell rings, distracting the principal from his initial response.
Principal Tanaka: We will pick this up again later. You should go to your first class.
Tami gets up to leave, but not without one last thing to say.
Tambara: *under her breath* A complete waste of time…
Tami’s first class is math and the only seat left when she gets there is in the back row. Tami sits bored and unhappy as her teacher, Miss Gaston, drones on about the fundamentals of algebra. The highlight of the class is when one of her classmates gives her a note to pass on to another student. Tami reads it before passing it along.
Note: Miss G is boring ASF!
Tami agrees, so she adds to the note.
Note: *Tami’s addition* And she must have gotten dressed in the dark. The outfit is giving lonely lady with 30 cats.
Tami passes the note along and smiles when rewarded by the giggles from her classmates.
Passing notes saved the morning, but there’s no one cool enough to hang out with at lunchtime. Tami avoids the cafeteria and goes to the library instead, hoping to kill time by finishing her homework.
Despite Miss Gaston’s monotone lecture, Tami learned enough to complete her homework. But now her stomach is growling, so she pulls out the pancakes she didn’t have time to eat for breakfast and finds a preferred spot in the library to eat it. She sits at a computer, next to a guy she recognizes from somewhere.
Teenage Guy: You’re not supposed to eat in the library!
Tami groans. Not this again. These kids need to learn to mind their own business. Tami continues her meal.
Teenage Guy: Did you hear me? It’s against the rules!
Tami turns to him.
Tambara: So sue me! My parents can afford it.
The guy sighs and leaves his computer. Tami finally realizes where she knows him from. He’s an actor in a popular show.
Tambara: Hey, I know you! You’re Austin! You play that annoying kid in the Blunder Years TV show.
Austin silently turns and stares disapprovingly as he walks always.
Tami turns back to her plate as the bell rings.
Tambara: So rude!
Tami scarfs down the last of her pancakes and gets up to leave to avoid being late to her next class. As she’s heading for the stairs, Principal Tanaka enters the library after being warned about a rule breaker. He walks over to investigate, but all evidence is gone.
(Generation 4 Chapter Summaries)
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