This is episode two, ?Art is Hard? for the Harven High series. If you haven?t read episode one, I highly recommend reading it before reading this, otherwise you may be confused. Title and concept for the episode is based from the song ?Art is Hard? by Cursive.

Previously on Harven High:
Emily, the new girl, starts her first day of class only to realize that things will not be the same as how they were. Ryan tries to comfort her during art class, but only ends up asking her out. An unexpected assembly adds new clubs to the school, encouraging Brendan to join the yearbook club. While staying after school for yearbook, Brendan catches May on MySpace and ends up going with her and Shanda to meet her MySpace friend. Her friend turns up to be some older guy and the teens flee the scene.

The past days have flown by faster than an airplane. The countless hours of learning quickly turned into yesterdays past. Friday, the day favored by most, had finally arrived. For Ryan it only meant one thing, his date with Emily. Ryan eagerly walked into the school building already wanting the school day to end. Adrenaline was rushing through his body as he headed towards his locker to meet up with his friends. Ryan saw his friends, Brendan and Jason, patiently waiting for him to arrive as he turned the corner.

?Hey!? shouted Ryan as he caught sight of them. He glanced over his left shoulder, and saw a couple hug each other. He smiled, knowing that could be Emily and him. As Ryan drew closer to his locker, he noticed two strangers blocking the entrance. ?They better move,? Ryan said to himself. He continued walking towards his locker knowing that this Friday would be magical. His eyes widened as he finally approached his locker with the two students still blocking his way.

?Excuse me. Can I please get into my locker?? Ryan asked nicely as he tapped one of the students on the shoulder. The student blindly ignored him and continued on with his conversation.
?What?s this kid?s problem?? Ryan thought to himself, becoming quite frustrated. He tapped the student on the shoulder once again, expecting him to move.
?Can you please move?? Ryan asked, less polite than before. The student continued to ignore him.
?Move!? shouted Ryan angrily, trying to get the kid?s attention. This time the student turned around and chuckled straight at Ryan; he had a wide grin on his face, as if the whole situation was a game. He turned around and continued talking to his friend.

?I have had enough of this!? Ryan exclaimed, clenching his fists. Ryan slowly walked up to the kid and dug his hands straight into his chest. Expelling a great force, he pushed the student?s frail body straight into the lockers, creating a loud boom that could be heard throughout the hallways. The boy stood trembling in fear of more possible attacks. He turned around with his back facing Ryan, ready to take on more beatings. Brendan and Jason stood appalled by the Ryan?s violent behavior.
Nonetheless, Ryan hesitated to fight back; being suspended was not an option for him. Instead, he opened his locker, placing his books on the already crowded shelves and walked away. Jason and Brendan quickly follow after him as if they were playing a game of ?Follow the Leader.?

?What the hell did you do that for?? Jason quickly demanded.
?What was I suppose to do? He wouldn?t move,? Ryan said, as if he were the victim.
?You nearly gave that kid a heart attack!? Jason shouted back.
Brendan stood there quietly, watching his best friends argue with each other. It was rather amusing to him at first, but, he could not stand the sight of his friends arguing with each other. Instead, he turned around and looked at the kid who was just pushed. The boy was leaning against the wall with his head down. Brendan felt guilty that Ryan was the one who made him cry. Brendan turned back towards his friends, trying hard to ignore the sight of someone suffering. ?Did you see his face?? Jason asked as he and Ryan burst out laughing. Brendan tried to keep a straight face; the boy?s reaction was too depressing to look at.
?Can we talk about something else?? asked Brendan trying to change the conversation.

?Hey, I got a date tonight guys with the hottest girl in school. I can?t wait,? Ryan bragged. Jason and Brendan only rolled their eyes as if they hadn?t heard him brag about it throughout the week.
?So Brendan?how?s the yearbook club going?? asked Jason, partly to change the subject and partly to aggravate Ryan.
?It?s alright, we didn?t do much yet,? Brendan responded firmly.
?Well I better get going; my class is on the other side of the school.? Sighed Ryan as he left his friends alone. Ryan walked off to class, expecting to see Emily early.

?Good, he?s gone? said Brendan with much relief. He felt like 100 pounds was just taken off his back. He was still upset that Ryan pushed the kid into the lockers.
?Hey, now that Ryan is gone? can you keep a secret?? Jason asked Brendan quickly.
?Sure, what is it?? Brendan anxiously asked.
?Well, you remember that one day where Ms. Beverly made me stay after? Well, she and I kinda bonded together. I mean we hugged. I dunno? I think I might have feelings for her,? confessed Jason. Brendan took a deep breath and let out a loud laugh. He took another second to catch his breath and responded to Jason.
?Ms. Beverly? She?s our English teacher. Are you sick??
?Please, just don?t tell anyone,? Jason begged to Brendan.
?I won?t. Besides it was just a hug, just end it there,? Brendan suggested.
?Yeah, just a hug? Jason said slowly. The two of them walked towards their first period class feeling quite awkward from the recent events.

With a big grin on his face, Ryan entered his first period class. He walked toward his assigned canvas, taking much notice at Emily standing there.
?Excited about tonight?? Ryan asked Emily, smiling.
?Yeah?? Emily said slowly, seeming uninterested. She stared at the doorway, losing all interest as Mrs. Graham, the art teacher, walked into the classroom. Mrs. Graham placed her bag down and greeted the class.

?Good morning class. Today you all will be starting a group research project on famous artists. This will be a large portion of your grade, so please do not fool around. You will have today and Monday to work on this in class. Your projects will be due Tuesday and I will not accept late work on this. I highly suggest you work on this during the weekend and use Monday to combine your work,? Mrs. Graham announced. She took a deep breath and called out the groups and their artist.
?Shanda, May and Emily you have MC Escher. Ryan, Dylan and Sue you all have Van Gogh.? Mrs. Graham continued to announce groups until everyone was assigned.

?So I guess we?re in a group,? Emily said slowly, remembering the incident she had with those two girls on the first day she came to school. She tried to forget about it in hopes that this project would make up for that incident.
?OK, well, if you are going to be in our group, you are going to have to do an equal amount of work. May, you are doing the paper and I?m doing the research and um? Emily, I guess you can decorate the poster,? Shanda suggested to the group.
?Sounds good to me,? May said in an agreeable tone.
?That?s it? Just the decorate the poster?? complained Emily. ?Is that all they think I am capable of,? Emily said to herself.
?Yup! No, you?re gonna help us out with research too,? said Shanda sarcastically. Emily tried to laugh along like it was a joke, but she only thought back on her initial impression of the girls.

For the remainder of the hour, the girls planned and worked on their project. Finally the bell rang, and Emily immediately got up and dashed out of classroom.
?Whoa! Hold up,? yelled Shanda as she chased Emily out the classroom. May immediately followed after Shanda and the two girls cornered Emily near the doorway.
?Did I forget something?? Emily asked as her body twitched slightly.
?No, we were just wondering if you were staying after school with us to research,? replied Shanda folding her arms and scowling at her.
?Today?? Emily asked as her jaw dropped wide open.
?Well it?s due Tuesday and we don?t have much time to work on it,? answered May.

?Well I kinda have a date tonight with Ryan,? Emily responded nervously. The girls laughed in unison and then shook their heads at each other. Emily shook her head as well; she did not know what was so funny about her date.
?Please! I?ve been looking forward to this all week,? begged Emily not wanting to stay after.
?Damn girl, you two just met this week and already you?re going out! Besides Ryan is just doing an act on you. You haven?t even seen his true self yet, have you?? yelled Shanda, frustrated by the situation.
?I know? It?s just that Ryan was the only one that made me feel welcome so far. Everyone else has been rude to me or thinks I?m some freaking prep,? confessed Emily as her body was slowly rid itself of the pressure that had been building. The girls only gave Emily a sour expression; they felt no sympathy for her nor did they care about her situation. The pain returned, welling up deep inside her with every passing second.

She felt her eyes tingle and her heart fall into the gutter. She had nothing left to do, but to let it all out. She scrunched her eyes as tears quickly fell down from her face. She was still corned by the two girls; neither one of them dared to back away. May quickly reacted putting her arms around her cold body.
?No, you?re not,? May said to try to cope with the situation. May held out napkin, in which Emily used to wipe her tears.
After Emily calmed down, Shanda curiously asked, ?What did the girls do to you exactly?? Emily looked straight at the ground; she really did not feel like answering.
?I don?t know. People didn?t treat me like this at my old school,? Emily said dramatically.
?It?s alright, you don?t have to talk about it if you don?t want to? May suggested.
?What about her end of the research?? Shanda asked impatiently.
?I think we should let her have her fun tonight? May answered.
?I?ll do some research at home and I?ll bring it in Monday. I promise,? Emily said looking very sincere.

?Don?t forget to bring a decorated poster board,? Shanda added. Emily nodded and the girls quickly ran off to their next class. Emily could tell they were more concerned about their grades than her friendship.
?Who do these girls think I am?? Emily thought to herself. She stood pressed hard against the cold lockers trying to remember her memories of her old school. She tried hard to remember her old friends; Beth, Jessica, and Heather were always there for her when she was feeling down. They were a good group of girls, who were fawned on by many teachers. They were not sluts, preps, stuck up girls, or any other stereotype. They were just people, just teenage girls who got good grades and stayed out of trouble.
?I miss you,? she said to herself as she continued walking towards her second period class.

Emily was only a few feet away from her next class. She quickly ran towards the doorway only to hear the sound of the tardy bell.
?Shit!? she cursed under her breath. She backed away from the doorway to avoid being seen by her teacher.
?I?m already tardy, I might as well skip,? Emily thought to herself. She continued to walk down the hallway, passing several classrooms. Finally she saw the perfect place to hide. She walked into the girls? restroom and sat down in the corner of the room.
?What am I doing? I?m not the kind of person to skip class. Why I do I have to feel like this,? she asked her self as she pondered on with questions. She sat there in silence, smelling the foul odor being released from the toilets.
?Oh god,? she whispered to her self as she slowly got up from the corner. She quickly stumbled over the floor, nailing herself slightly in the head.
?Ahh!? she screamed silently. She walked up towards the sink and looked into the mirror for any bumps.

To her dismay, she saw no bumps. She didn?t even see her own reflection, instead she saw a girl appear in the mirror. The girl had a soft tone expression in her face. She was smiled at Emily, looking very genuine.
?I don?t look like that,? Emily shouted at the mirror. She quickly turned the faucet knobs and splashed some water in her face. She looked back into the mirror and saw the same girl appear. ?That?s me!? exclaimed Emily as she smiled into the mirror. However, the girl frowned and shook her head in disapproval.
?That was me,? Emily said sadly staring back into the mirror. She stared blankly at herself, noticing major changes in her appearance.
?Is this the cost of popularity?? she asked her reflection.

Emily suddenly awoke in the corner of the room. ?I must have passed out from the hitting my head,? she said silently. She got up slowly, trying to avoid slipping again. Once she was standing on her feet, she walked towards the bathroom exit. However, she heard voices on the other end of the door. Emily quickly ran into one of the stalls and pretended to be using the bathroom. She was afraid that it was a hall monitor or something trying to catch students skipping. She nervously sat down on the moldy toilet seat trying to avoid being caught. She looked through the stall opening seeing young legs appeared before her. ?Good,? sighed Emily with much relief. She walked out of the stalls to see the girl holding a pack of cigarettes.

?What!? the girl shouted as Emily came out of the stall.
?Nothing, I?m just on my way out,? Emily nervously responded. She was quite shocked to see someone actually smoking in the bathroom. She had heard rumors at her other school, but she never really believed it.
?OK, well the door is right there,? the girl hinted as she pointed Emily on her way out. Emily walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the classroom taking a very late tardy. In a way, she felt relieved of the stresses going on in her life. She remembered who she was once again and at least tried to be her old self.

Commerical Break:

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And now we return to Harven High...

The hours went by at the same rate as dial-up Internet. Lunchtime had finally arrived to fill up the students? empty stomachs. Brendan walked into the lunchroom only see to Jason?s seat occupied by Emily. ?Huh? What?s going on?? he said to himself as he drew nearer to the table. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice call out to him, ?Brendan over here.? Brendan turned around to learn the voice had come from Jason, who was sitting at a completely different table with people who he hadn?t seen before.
?What?s going on?? asked Brendan as he stood in front of the table.
?Nothing? I got tired of Ryan. I cussed him out and left,? Jason responds angrily.
?OK? well I?m going to wait in line,? said Brendan, feeling his friendship crumble underneath him. He hoped it was on temporary and that they would make up soon.

After Brendan got his usual meal, he sat at his new table, feeling awkward sitting next to several unfamiliar faces.
?Salad again?? Jason teased as Brendan sat down.
?Yeah, the school food is greasy. Um? who are they?? asked Brendan turning his frustration into a joke.
?That?s Trev, Kenny and Ben,? Jason said as he said pointed clockwise starting from the people on Brendan?s left.
?Hi Brendan!? said Ben in a soft, quiet voice. Brendan only stood in shock; he had no clue who these people were or how did he know his name.
?Um? hi,? Brendan said back.
?Don?t worry about Ben, he doesn?t talk much. All he does is smile or laugh. Kenny?s a big pervert, so don?t listen to him,? warned Trevor.
?I?ll try to remember that,? Brendan said feeling more awkward sitting there. He continued eating his salad, only wishing the lunch period would end.

?See that girl sitting over there,? Trevor pointed out to the guys.
?Which girl?? Kenny asked in confusion. Trevor got caught out of his seat and walked towards Kenny. ?Over there,? he pointed out.
?Yeah, what about her?? asked Jason curiously.
?I heard she got caught smoking in the girl?s bathroom,? Trevor said back.
?I heard she doesn?t wear panties,? added Kenny.
?That?s just wrong,? Brendan said in disgust. Although he thought it was funny; he felt more awkward sitting at the table.
?I warned you ahead of time,? Trevor said returning back to his seat.
?Well I have to use the bathroom,? Brendan said trying to avoid the rest of the lunch period.
?Do you need to borrow my lotion?? Kenny asked back. The boys laughed in unison.
Brendan made a sour expression and instead headed to his English class early. He didn?t even want to be caught in the bathroom, after hearing that.

?Wow! You two are here early,? Ms. Beverly said, shocked to see Brendan and Shanda arriving early. Brendan went straight to his seat feeling the awkwardness of lunch still present. To take things off his mind, he glanced around the room and noticed Shanda looking at the books on the bookshelf and Ms. Beverly shuffling papers around. Suddenly the thought of Jason and Ms. Beverly making out appeared in his head.
"Urgh!? Brendan shouted out loud.
?You alright?? Shanda asked Brendan.
?Yeah, I?m fine. I just remember something that happened at lunch.?
?What happened at lunch?? Shanda asked, sitting next to him.
?Oh nothing, I?m just sick and tired of Ryan. Any word that comes out of his mouth is either about Emily or a put down.? Brendan said in an aggravated tone.
?Forget about him. Ryan?s a jerk anyway.?
?Hey, is um??? Brendan stumbled to ask a question. ?Is May single? asked Brendan.
?What!?!? Shanda said, shocked.

?You wanna date May? Good luck, her parents are so strict. They won?t let her date anyone. I mean, it took them awhile just to accept me as her best friend. I?m sorry, but you have no chance with her,? informed Shanda.
?What do you mean?? Brendan asked in confusion.
?I?m not trying to be mean, but her parents are strict. They are the kind of parents who expect their kids to get the best grades and shelters them from everything else,? Shanda said with emphasis.
Brendan took a deep breath and thought about the situation once more. ?I really like her; I don?t care about her parents. I?ll give it a try and see what happens.? Brendan said confidently.
?Good luck with that,? Shanda said with sarcasm. She stood up and went to her regular seat as more and more students walked into the classroom.