Chapter 1

Two cheerleaders were stopping everyone at the east door. I sighed and ruffled my hair; there had been three at the office entrance. I had just wanted to get to class and skip any school spirit horseshit. I fell in line behind a pair of sophomores and checked out their asses. The line inched forward with minimal bitching.

“Hi, I’m Mandy and this is Jessica!” The cheerleaders greeted myself and the sophomores as if we were together. The younger girls looked back at me but I just waited. Mandy was a friend, I suppose, we said hi to each other. Maybe she was just nice? She had frizzy red hair, green eyes and big tits. She was short and slender. She was wearing long blue leggings to match the blue and silver uniform and keep out the October cold. Jessica I didn’t know. She was a senior I think, with straight brown hair and ice princess eyes. She was taller, by at least eight inches, than her partner. She had a nice figure.

“Um,” The sophomores looked at each other and then the blonde spoke, “I’m Holly and this Anna.”

Holly looked over her shoulder at me with clear blue eyes. She frowned. She was kind of tomboyish, with a canvas jacket and baggy jeans. Anna had brown eyes and was wearing a windbreaker over a white t-shirt that didn’t hide her green bra. Holly raised her eyebrow.

“Oh, hey Mandy,” I grumbled.

“Hi Leo,” She smiled. Jessica held a soft covered binder and flipped it to a new page. Ribbons, were pinned to it. Seven red strips unevenly bracketing an eighth green one. Jessica looked past me at the guy behind me, but Mandy stopped her from turning the page.

“Red for Holly, Red for Anna, and Green for Leo,” The sophomores took theirs but Mandy waved my hand away. She lifted the lapel of my coat and pinned my ribbon to my t-shirt over my heart. The cheerleaders were also wearing ribbons: Mandy had a white one tied around her wrist, Jessica had a red pinned to her top. The sophomores tried to step forward but Jessica stopped them.

“Not until you tie on your strips,” She shook her head. There was something off about her.

“What’s this about?” I asked. Jessica clearly wasn’t about to answer.

“It’s a game,” Mandy told me, “The colors tell you what position you’re playing.”

“Oh, fun,” I shrugged. I walked past the sophomores and smiled at Mandy. She waved and introduced herself to the next people. Holly and Anna hurried on through. They jogged ahead of me. In the door and up the steps to the main floor, there were bristol board posters directing us. Reds to the gymnasium, yellows to the cafeteria, and greens to the computer room. Where did the whites go? Maybe the library.

“What the hell is this?” Complained Anna as she and Holly veered away. I took a final look at them from behind and walked to the computer room, hoping to get out of math first thing in the morning. Normally, the halls were alive at this point, but no one was at their locker. I walked into the computer room to find five people milling around.

“Leo!” Kimberley, another cheerleader in uniform, was wearing a green ribbon around her wrist, “I’m surprised. You usually come in by the office.” She flashed her eyes over to the other girl in the room, a cute freshman I didn’t recognize.

“Uh, yeah, saw the line and went to the east doors,” I shrugged. “Didn’t help.” The guys in the room: Stewart, Gregg and Miles, were all crowding around Kimberley and were unhappy with my calling away her attention. I decided not to bother with them and dropped down by the freshman, “Hi.”

“Uh, hi,” She murmured.

“Well then that’s all five doors then. We’re all there is,” Kimberley waved the boys to sit down. Miles hung around to finish whatever sentence he was gumming about.

“My name’s Leo,” I smiled at the freshman.

“Darcy,” She murmured and blushed. Great ... I sighed and Kimberley picked up a tablet.

“Alright, so it’s five juniors and Darcy,” Kimberley said including herself, “Uh, how to explain this. The ribbons were a sort of lottery.”

“Mandy said it was a game and the colors determined what position we’re playing,” She was talking slowly and I wanted this game over with.

“That’s not a bad metaphor,” Kimberley shivered, “Anyway, the rules are simple. Reds are at the bottom, then yellows, and greens are at the top.”

“And whites?” Remembering Mandy.

“They’re taking notes. They’re not ... playing,” She shook her head. The six of us weren’t normally on top. Kimberley may be a cheerleader, but she didn’t really stand out. She was small breasted, with short black hair, braces, and freckles. She was just a face in the crowd mostly. Miles was a football player, but a second stringer at best and kind of dumb. I heard he had a girlfriend but I also heard that everyone else was still having his girl. Gregg was just a guy, had his circle of friends, kept to themselves. Stewart was a bully but it wasn’t junior high anymore and he was just grasping for that fear and power he wielded back then. I didn’t expect much out of Darcy.

I wouldn’t call myself a loner. I got on with most people but I left them at the last bell. I didn’t have friends after school really. Just people I talked to online or played Xbox live with.

“So what are the rules?” Gregg asked.

“Read them yourself,” She walked over to the table Darcy and I were at. The guys circled around to read the tablet. Stewart leaned over Darcy’s chair and was too close to me.

“All reds must obey all yellows and greens. All yellows must obey all greens. Do not lose your ribbon.”

“What?” Stewart begged. Gregg snatched up the tablet, unable to read the large font upside down or something.

“But--” Darcy looked to me and to Kimberley. Then the bell rang. I could see the clock in the corner of the tablet. Looks like we weren’t going to miss class.

“OK, hope that means everyone else is done,” Kimberley sighed, “I guess we get started.”

The six of us walked out into the hallway. Now there were people, with ribbons on their shirts or their wrists, running to their lockers or carrying their books to class. We stood dumbfounded in the doorway. Stewart grabbed some girl by the elbow. She was a tall and pretty senior.

“Let go of my arm,” She growled.

“Stop,” He said and she quieted down. His grin widened considerably, “Take off your top.”

“Stewart!” Growled Gregg but the girl looking impatient more than anything else slid out of her backpack and reached for the hem of her sweater. She ripped it off over her head. We were all momentarily mesmerized by her jiggling tits in their beige bra.

“Are we done?”

“Yeah, I’m not wasting any more time with a six,” Sneered Stewart as he headed off down the hallway.

“Fuck you!” She growled and hurried into her shirt, backpack and run. I just watched until Darcy bolted before the senior had picked her bag back up. Gregg shoved his hands in his pockets and left. Miles tipped me and Kimberley an imaginary hat and trundled off. She was about to go too. I grabbed Kimberley’s hand. She flinched but laced her fingers into mine after I stared her down for a moment.

“Why did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” She shook her head, “We got ours on the bus after losing the state championship yesterday.”

“Shit! You don’t have to be so rough about it!” We turned our heads and saw Stewart fucking a girl at the end of the hallway. The rest of the traffic just veered around them.

“C’mon,” I pulled Kimberley’s hand but she shook her head.

“I don’t have to listen to you,” She broke our grip, “I’ll see you around Leo. I’ve got history.”

“Yeah,” I let her go and started off myself. It seemed there were only two yellows for every ten reds. Mostly, it was just a school day with more than the usual number of teenagers keeping their heads down. I saw a chubby ugly chick using her yellow ribbon to hold the quarterback’s hand. His girlfriend, another red, followed miserably ten paces behind them. Mrs Lauper wore a yellow a ribbon and watched the crowd from her Vice Principal’s office. A yellow pinned freshman boy had three red ribboned freshman girls carrying his bags. I smirked at that. I arrived at math but I didn’t see another white. The library had been empty. The bell to start class rang. Shit. I hadn’t gone to my locker to switch my books.

Mr Harrison was our math teacher. 495 years old if he was a day. He had an impatient frown and a yellow ribbon on his leather patched blazer. He was an anachronism. The class, thirty of us, had myself and three yellows, though the reds were all trickling in late.

“Take your seats ladies and gentlemen,” Mr Harrison droned. I looked back and sighed. Whatever. I took my seat. We were assigned our seats in first name alphabetical order, so I was at table four between Karen and Lisa. They looked at my green ribbon with fear. I smiled hello.

“Uh, Give me a pen,” I told Lisa and she nodded. She opened her bag and handed one over. I took out my chemistry notebook, math was still in my locker. I turned to Karen. I wondered. “Hey, take my notes for me.”

“Yes, Leo,” She breathed a little relief. I laughed, getting a look from Mr Harrison I was sheepish about but he said nothing. I grew bored in class. Almost falling asleep as Karen studiously took two sets of notes. Lisa kept her eyes zeroed on the chalkboard, trying not to remind me she was there. She did keep flicking her eyes at me when she dared though. I was curious if she was actually as scared. Mr Harrison turned around and growled.

“Olivia, put Norman’s penis away and focus on the lesson!” Everyone turned. Norman was leaning back, showing off his yellow ribbon, while Olivia was leaning against him giving him a handjob. Mike had shuffled his seat practically into the aisle. Norman held her shoulders tightly but scowled when she eagerly dropped him and picked up her pen.

“Olivia--” He said strongly but Mr Harrison growled again.

“Norman, put your penis away and go to Mrs Lauper’s office. This is a school, not a brothel.”

“Oh, except you’re only a yellow too and--”

“Norman, shut up and go to the office,” I demanded and his jaw closed tightly. He left his backpack but zipped himself up as he left the classroom.

“Thank you, Mr Cazzo,” Mr Harrison nodded at me. He took the time to glare at Shirley and Owen, our other two yellows. The rest of the class went off without a hitch. I offered Lisa her pen back when the bell rang, but she whispered “It’s yours.” and ran.

Out in the hallway, whatever nervousness I had felt at the start of this game was boiling off and it seemed others were starting to feel the same way. There were still many eyes down, walk faster, make it to the end of the day, yellow ribboners out there. Yet, it was PDA central. A girl with a yellow ribbon seemed way more likely to be making out with a red guy than some of the stiff walking yellow boys were with red girls. I started thinking I should loosen up too. I saw Mandy, still in uniform, walking regally down the hallway and I ran after her.

“Hey,” I said with a smile at her.

“Hey,” She grinned back, “What trouble are you getting up to?”

“I--” Thought for a moment, “I got this new pen.”

She laughed a sweet laugh. She took my arm and walked with me.

“You’re a God today,” She whispered as we walked.

“Just today?”

“Probably not but you’re not supposed to know all the answers,” She teased. The bing bong of the PA echoed in the hallway. I ignored it as usual until I heard Miles’s voice.

“Attention Josham High Students. I am Miles Shepherd, green ribbon, I have been seeing some of the worst shit in my life today. If you are a yellow, do not use your power to rape reds. If you are a yellow, do not use your authority to extort money from reds. My younger sister Anna is off limits.” The PA bing bonged off.

Mandy and I turned a corner to see a frustrated yellow ribboned girl was climbing off the red boy’s lap she had mounted next to the water fountain. “Get out of my face Chris!” She snarled. He pulled up his pants and she found her panties further down the bench.

“Miles had to be a spoilsport,” Mandy grinned.

“You smell really nice today,” I blurted out but smiled.

“Thanks but I smell good everyday,” She stopped, we were at her locker, “You know all the teachers are yellows.”

“All of them?”

“All of them, but some of the support staffers are reds,” She said changing her books. She turned to me and slung her bag over her shoulder. It split her tits very nicely, “Have fun. Stop worrying and just do something.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. She was much shorter than me. Kissing her was quick, but I had to bend awkwardly.

“Not me, I’ve got a white ribbon,” She laughed.

“I wanted my first kiss to be with a girl who liked me back,” I scratched my hair nervously.

“Well, that was sweet,” She walked away with a multi-finger wave, “I’ll see you at the end of the day.”

“Yeah?” I wondered what about. I moved on to my locker. Put away my books and was considering grabbing my next class’s but changed my mind. I felt better not to be lugging a sack full of textbooks around. I ducked my head into Mr Beaton’s English class.

“Mr Beaton, mark me as present please,” I smiled and stepped back as Karen was entering the class, “Karen, take notes for me again?”

“Yes Leo,” They both answered. I set off, just wandering the hallways as whatever classes sponged up their students. It was eerie being in control and walking dead halls at 10 in the morning. I found Gregg sitting in the cafeteria, playing on his phone. With a quick look at his legs to be certain he wasn’t getting head, that’s the kind of day it was, I walked in to talk to him.

“Hey,” I sat down across the table.

“Hey, good on Miles, eh?” He blacked out his phone and laid it face down.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, “Stewart still on his rampage?”

“Nah, he grabbed two seniors with cars and as many of their hot friends as he could fit in the seats and ditched.”

“Shit,” I growled, “I kissed Mandy.”

“Matheson? Good work man, she’s always liked you,” He sighed, “I, uh, made out with Paul.”

“Leibowitz?”

“Carde.”

“Oh, I don’t know him,” I admitted. I felt like an idiot mentally thanking myself for having a green ribbon. Just cause there’s a gay guy, didn’t mean he wanted me. I hadn’t a hint that Gregg was gay before.

“Yeah,” He sighed, “Do you know what scares me?”

“Bats.”

“Yes, I’m the Goddamned Batman,” Gregg laughed, “But not just bats, I’m afraid I’m going to do something worse.”

“I know I am,” I nodded, “It bugged me when Miles said Anna was off limits.”

“Yeah, he’s lucky Stewart had left campus by then,” Gregg nodded.

“Here you boys are,” We looked up, over Gregg’s shoulder to see Kimberley coming in from the library. Jessica followed behind her carrying Kimberley’s and her own book bags, “I got curious when you missed roll call, Gregg.”

“Sit down,” I gestured. She sat down next to Gregg. Jessica knelt on the tiles behind Kimberley, “I thought you didn’t have to do what I said?”

“I don’t,” She rolled her eyes, “But why stand?”

“What’ve you done?” Gregg asked, looking at Jessica. The pretty senior blushed.

“I’ve been having people do things for me,” Kimberley shrugged, “Most of the cheerleaders have orders from yesterday. I’m still just feeling things out.”

“Leo kissed Mandy,” He pointed at me, “Matheson.”

Kimberley looked at me sourly. She turned to Gregg, “And you ... Beth Peters?”

I was going to say Paul Carde’s name but I wasn’t comfortable outing Gregg if he wasn’t out. He just shrugged. “I like Beth.”

“OK,” Kimberly shook her head. She stood up, “Don’t stop yourselves. It’s easier once you get started. C’mon skank.”

“Yes mistress,” Jessica was frighteningly demure as she stood and followed Kimberley out of the cafeteria. Gregg stared at me until I was uncomfortable.

“I want to tell you to keep your hands off Beth,” He told me, “But I don’t want to Miles and Anna it up.”

“Ha,” I smirked, “No, it’s OK. Look after your friends.”

“You going to tell me to keep away from Mandy?” He prodded.

“Are you even interested?” I deflected.

“No, not Mandy,” He laughed, “Well, I’m going to do something.”

“Me too,” We both got up and went our separate ways out of the cafeteria. I headed south, towards the offices. Lisa stepped out of the bathroom as I was passing by. Lisa flashed me a sour look and returned a smile. She had on dark eye makeup and lip gloss. She was wearing a tight, tiny sleeved, low cut, frilly black shirt and white jeans in brown leather boots. I waved. She waved. She looked to bolt.

“Come with me,” I said. She overacted, throwing up her hands, hanging her head and slogging into step beside me.

“What’s it like?” She asked flicking my green ribbon with her purple painted fingernail.

“I don’t know,” I touched her red ribbon, “What’s that like?”

“Feels better since Miles, y’know,” She laughed, “I was getting felt up by some Freshman. He apologized so hard. I could’ve thought his curiosity was cute if he hadn’t just been mauling my tits.”

“I don’t have to listen to Miles,” I warned her and myself.

“I know,” she said gravely, but smiled, “But I mean, you’re not the worst guy who could have a green ribbon.”

“That’d be Stewart.”

“Oh my God, Stewart?” Her whole face twisted. We were turning the corner to the principal’s office, “He’s not around is he?”

“Gregg said he grabbed a couple carloads of seniors and fucked off for the day,” I appeased her.