Surviving Junior Year

Synopsis
Alicia, Jenny, Jason, Kyle, Meg, and Chris begin 11th grade, try to dodge vicious seniors, and Alicia, Jason, and Kyle's band gets a new member.

Plot
On their first day of their junior year, Alicia, Jenny, Meg, Chris, Kyle, and Jason check and compare their schedules. Alicia is upset because she and Jenny only have two classes together, but she and Jason assure her that all have the same lunch period.

On her way to the first period of the day, the dreaded algebra, Alicia gets smacked by Corky Roberts' bag, and it is apparent they are not fond of each other. Alicia attends Mrs. Carpentino's Algebra II class with Kyle, and she gets called out for looking at the clock too much.

Next, in a flashback to September 1984, Kyle and Jason are skateboarding around the neighborhood. Kyle is complaining about his mom's new huband, Phil Downey, and his daughter, Missy Downey. Missy is a year older than Kyle, and she is kind of a bully to him and his siblings.

A couple of weeks into the school year, Jason confesses to Kyle that he's thinking about getting a job because he's not doing great in some of his classes.

Kyle gets pulled aside after class by Mrs. Carpentino, who tells him that although he's kind of distracting students (girls) in class, he's extremely adept at mathematics, and thinks he should jump ahead to calculus. Kyle declines her offer because he feels like he needs to help Alicia not fail.

After class, Kyle and Jason are practicing together in Jason's basement, and they talk about expanding the band past their three members. Alicia doubles as the lead singer and only guitarist, so Kyle mentions that maybe they need a rhythm guitarist to round their sound out. His suggestion is Jenny, further hinting at their feelings for one another.

After Alicia shows off her actual talents in musical history, Corky complains to her friend Missy about how she thinks Alicia is a know-it-all. Missy counters that maybe Alicia is musically inclined. They argue a bit back and forth, and Corky brings up Jason. Missy knows Corky has a bit of a crush on him, so she bites that because Jason is a skate punk, and they are cheerleaders, high school hierarchy states that they are better than him.

Later on, Chris is in the library researching about future theories (our past). Alicia meets up with him and they debate about future technology. As they're talking, Kyle walks up to them. After Chris threatens to turn Kyle in for cutting class, Kyle throws a porn magazine at him.

On school picture day, Jenny reveals that she's not a fan of getting her picture taken. She complains that she hates waiting in line all day due to her last name being at the end of the alphabet, and that she has to cover her ample chest. After school, Alicia gets a call from Jason's mom, wondering if Alicia can help her plan a surprise party for Jason.

The next day, Alicia talks with Jenny about the surprise party. At the same time, Chris is sitting with his friends discussing an event of their own. Corky walks by both tables, mistakes them for the same party, and chastises Missy for not keying her into what's going on. Alicia tells Jenny that Corky needs to not know about Jason's party, because she's aware of Corky's feelings for him. Chris and his friends Kevin and TJ discuss Dungeons & Dragons, and Chris tells them even though they enjoy it, doesn't mean everyone thinks it's cool.

Later, Meg writes a letter to her parents David and Angela in Constance, Wyoming.

During her break at work, Alicia is pondering over some records. She's trying to figure out the perfect gift for Jason, and Jenny walks in wondering what she's doing. Alicia explains that it's difficult for her to choose a gift because she wants to get him the perfect present. Jenny points out that this is because Alicia likes Jason. A flashback to Alicia's thirteenth birthday in 1985 shows she has just gotten her ears pierced. Jason appears at her bedroom doorway bearing a gift for her. Alicia opens it to reveal her dangly silver earrings. She puts them on immediately, Ignoring Jason's warning not to wear them so soon after getting pierced. Back to present day, Alicia and Jenny are still sifting through records, but to no avail. Jenny taunts Alicia about her alleged attraction to Jason, but Alicia argues that even if she were attracted to him, they cannot date due to the unsaid agreement they have by being in a band together. Alicia changes the subject, and tells Jenny about Kyle wanting Jenny to be in the band. Jenny is skeptical, but she decides to give it some thought for her friend.

Later on during school, Jason and Kyle come across a poster for a mysterious woodland party (completely unaware that it is Chris and his friends' D&D gathering). Jason argues that it doesn't seem like the safest idea since it takes place in the woods, and Kyle mocks him because Jason seems to have mellowed out drastically since he hit puberty.

Jenny has given some thought about joining the band, and she visits Appregio's music shop to look at guitars. She speaks with a clerk about buying the Gibson Flying V, and after hearing it's on sale, can't resist the good deal. Once she gets back home, Jenny speaks with her mom, Yoshiko, about her purchase. Jenny then ascends to her room to transform herself into what she thinks is a rock n' roll look. She heads over to Jason's house, and surprises Alicia, Jason, and Kyle with her decision to join the band.

Characters

 * Alicia Barker
 * Jenny Woods
 * Jason Slattery
 * Kyle Timmons
 * Meg DeWitt
 * Chris Saunders
 * Corky Roberts (first appearance)
 * Mrs. Carpentino (first appearance)
 * Mr. Sloan (first appearance)
 * Gloria (first appearance)
 * Steven (first appearance)
 * Missy Downey (first appearance)
 * Alexis Slattery
 * Kevin
 * TJ
 * David DeWitt (mentioned)
 * Angela DeWitt (mentioned)
 * Roger (first appearance)
 * Yoshiko Woods (first appearance)
 * William Woods, Jr.
 * Phillip Woods
 * Jillian Woods

Objects

 * Cheerleading uniform (first appearance)
 * Jason's Ludwig drumkit
 * Kyle's Fender Jazz bass (first appearance)
 * Jenny's diary (first appearance)
 * Kyle's stash (first appearance)
 * Alicia's Fender Stratocaster
 * Jenny's Gibson Flying V (first appearance)

Locations

 * Belharght, California
 * Belharght High School (first appearance)
 * Mrs. Carpentino's algebra class (first appearance)
 * Mr. Sloan's music class (first appearance)
 * Library (first appearance)
 * Gymnasium (first appearance)
 * Cafeteria (first appearance)
 * Playground (first appearance)
 * The Burger Bucket (first appearance)
 * Sparky's Underground Record Store
 * Slattery residence
 * Arpeggio's Music Shop (first appearance)
 * Barker residence
 * Alicia's room
 * Saunders residence
 * Meg's room (first appearance)
 * Woods residence
 * Jenny's room
 * Constance, Wyoming (mentioned)

Continuity

 * Kyle mentions on in "Guitarists & Girlfriends" that Jenny should be the band's new rhythm guitarist. This is brought up again later by Alicia in "Unrequited Love" when she asks Jenny.
 * In "Life's Little Lessons," Chris is seen researching on his free time. Alicia is already aware of this from when she met him in "Summer Studies."
 * In "What's Cool?" Chris and his friends are talking about having a Dungeons & Dragons party. This is nonchalantly mentioned again in "Party Dorks," when Kyle points out the flyer for a party in the woods.
 * Meg is writing a letter to her parents in "Letters to Home," reminding the audience that she is newly Belharghtian.

Milestones

 * The six main character start their junior year on September 6, 1988.
 * A flashback to Alicia's past reveals that she received her beloved star earrings on July 12, 1985.

Other

 * On page 31, "Algebra is Fun!" Alicia asks when algebra will ever be used in real life. It was a real question asked in Heather's algebra class in high school. So far, algebra has not been used in real life.
 * On page 49, "What Jenny Thinks," Jenny's mom Yoshiko's name is written on her check as "Karen Woods."
 * Also in "What Jenny's Thinks," the Flying V is called "The Wizard," because this was before it was decided to use real brand names.
 * On page 50, "The Remake," you may notice that Jenny's eye structure has slightly changed. This is because her nationality wasn't exactly set in stone yet, and as soon as Yoshiko first appeared, it was decided she was of Japanese descent.
 * This is Heather's least favorite chapter. She thinks it's a huge bleeding mess.