Lollie Parker

"It's electives day." Noah said taking a piece of Lollie's sandwich.

"Yes, please eat my breakfast."

"Stop, she doesn't even eat breakfast in the morning." Mariah told him.

"Here, have it back." He said putting the chewed-up food back on the plate.

"Bye." Lollie said taking an apple and walking out the door

﹏﹏﹏﹏

It's been a while since Lollie's been late but she went to a café and bought herself a muffin and something to drink.

"The year was nineteen twenty-nine, the stock market crashed, everyone lost their money and their jobs. And the people who were comfortable were now lost and became known as-" Farkle started.

"The Forgotten." Lollie said throwing her can away.

"Right." Mr. Matthews said, "After class." He whispered.

"Okay."

"Working-class people, the heart and soul of our country, basically taken for granted in the first place, and now, discarded and forgotten." He continued.

"How could that happen, sir?" Lucas asked.

"It shouldn't have, Mr. Friar."

"But that could never happen to anyone in the Grand Canyon today, could it?" Riley asked.

"I don't know, Riley. I'm sure you would never take anyone for granted, right?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I would never."

"And do you think there's anyone who cares about you who goes underappreciated or overlooked?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"Maya, my life is so much better for having you in it."

"I know, pumpkin." Maya told her.

"Thank you, dad. For the first time, I've actually understood something that you've tried to teach me." Riley said.

"Please, bell, ring. Ring! Ah-ha." Mr. Matthews said once the bell rang.

"You could do that?" Maya asked.

Everyone disputed leaving Lollie, Lucas, and Mr. Matthews.

"Wait outside."

Lucas nodded his head and headed out the door.

After he learned about her anxiety he's been by her side ever since.

"Late?" Mr. Matthews questioned.

"Noah."

"I understand."

The two smiled at each other before he spoke again.

"Be careful Lollie."

She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Always."

She walked out of the classroom and saw Lucas waiting for her at the corner.

"Lunch?"

"Lunch."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

Lollie stood in the lunch line by herself not knowing she was still in view of Lucas.

He didn't know what it was, but he knew that he had to keep her sane while she was at school.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Geralyn." Lollie told the lunch lady.

"Afternoon, Winter." Mrs. Geralyn said with a smile.

She grabbed her lunch and sat at the table by herself.

"Maya, don't! She's gonna blow!" Lucas shouted.

He ducked under the table alongside Farkle causing heads to turn, even Lollie's.

"Why do they build their villages so close? Why?" Riley asked.

The bell rang and everyone left but Lollie because she wasn't gonna waste lunch... again.

"Hey, hey, hey. Where are you guys going? What's the rush?" Mr. Matthews asked the foursome.

"Geralyn, Janitor Harley, can you come over here for a minute? So, you guys don't think you should have to clean any of this up? Geralyn, do you think they realize when they waste their food like this it makes you feel bad?" Mr. Matthews asked

"I feel bad." Mrs. Geralyn said in her monotone voice.

"And Janitor Harley, do you think they realize when they make a mess in the cafeteria, it makes you feel bad?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I actually feel I deserve what I get. But I have all kinds of different issues." Janitor Harley said.

"You know, in just a few minutes you guys played with your food and you left a mess without any regard or respect for anyone else." Mr. Matthews said.

"It's not just us." Maya defended.

"I know and you're the good ones. I'm gonna go ahead and assign you your electives now. Girls, your electives will be, and I don't think anybody saw this one coming." Mr. Matthews said.

"Oh, no." Maya said.

"Cafeteria duty."

"How you doin'?" Geralyn asked hugging their shoulders.

"I've been better." Maya said.

"Wow." Farkle muttered.

Lollie finished her lunch and threw her trash away.

"Lollie, can you come here?" She heard Mr. Matthews ask.

She rolled her eyes and turned back around.

"Cafeteria duty."

"No." Both her and Maya said.

"Yes."

"She's a good one Cory." Geralyn said now hugging Lollie's shoulders.

"I know."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Hey, pretty lunch lady." Maya said.

"You are killing this thang." Riley said.

"Stop it." They said and flipped their hair.

"Kill me." Lollie muttered under her breath and fixed her hairnet.

"What about me? Am I not the cutest thing ever?" Mrs. Geralyn asked.

"Actually, these are being worn on the back of the head this season." Riley said adjusting Mrs. Geralyn's hair net.

"I have my own distinct sense of fashion! Welcome... to the cafeteria. We have a lot of fun here. And by fun, I mean potatoes. And by potatoes, I mean, we peel them. And by we, I mean you." Mrs. Geralyn explained.

Lollie took a giant bowl on her own and began to peel the potatoes.

"Well, this actually doesn't seem so bad. There's more, aren't there?" Riley asked.

"Look behind you, scarecrow." Maya said.

"Oh, I have a nickname. That's a lot of potatoes, but since there's three of us we should finish faster." Riley said looking at the potatoes.

"When you have completed the peeling of the potato, you place the potato in the pot. That is all you do. Now, I will finish preparing tomorrow's lunch. You ladies will do what?" Mrs. Geralyn asked.

"Peel the potatoes." Riley said.

"Put them in the pot." Maya said.

"What do you do?" Mrs. Geralyn repeatedly asked.

"Peel the potatoes. Put them in the pot." Lollie answered.

"What do you not do?" She asked.

"Anything else." Riley replied.

"I believe we have communicated. Except for one thing. This is a one-week class for you, a grade. But this is my world and I care very much about what happens back here. Understand?" She asked.

"Yes, Mrs.-" Riley abruptly stopped.

"Thompson." Lollie said.

"Thompson. Sorry." Riley said.

"We should have known that." Maya said.

"Mm-hmm."

"My name is-" Riley said, but Mrs. Geralyn stopped her.

"Riley Matthews. Loves Fish Stick Fridays."

"Who am I?" Maya asked.

"Maya Hart. I always give you extra to take home."

"What about her?" Maya said pointing at Lollie who was still peeling potatoes.

"Winter, she's a saint and loves potatoes. I know all my kids." She said, "Well, I will leave you ladies to it."

"So, this is easy. What could possibly go wrong?" Riley asked.

"Look at all these spices. You know what these are?" Maya asked.

"What?" Riley asked.

"Taste and flavor. The kids will love us." She answered.

"Peel the potatoes, put them in the pot." Riley repeated.

"I can't hear you. Ba-da-da-da, da, da-da spicy!" She sang as Lollie kept peeling the potatoes and putting them in the pot.

"You're gonna get them sick." Lollie said.

"It's gonna taste better so butt out."

"I rather eat tasteless potatoes than throwing up whatever you're putting in there."

"Well, you better bring a bag lunch." Maya told her.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

Lollie held out her hands for her mother to look at her cuts.

"You peeled potatoes and got these?"

"Felt like I did it all myself."

Noah walked downstairs and took an apple.

"You owe Lollie five dollars." She told him.

"Why?" He asked eating his food.

"Mariah said you ate Lollie's breakfast this morning."

Before another word was spoken he dashed out the door.
﹏﹏﹏﹏

"All right. The potatoes you prepared yesterday will be served today." Mrs. Geralyn told the three.

"When do we get paid?" Maya asked.

"The grateful looks in everyone's faces will be pay enough for me." Riley said.

"You want a pat on the back, you better get a longer arm. This is not the job for "attaboys" or "you go girls." Mrs. Geralyn said.

"Yesterday was the hardest I've worked in my life." Riley told her.

"I have no doubt of that. Now, for the actual hard part." Mrs. Geralyn said.

"That's a joke. You're funny, right?" Maya asked.

"When that lunch bell rings, brace yourselves, rookies. It's about to get real in here. You're in charge of the potatoes. You scoop them up, you plop them down. Scoop, then plop. Say it." She demanded.

"Scoop and plop." Riley said.

"Say it." Maya said frantically.

"Now, after those plates go out, guess what happens next?" Mrs. Geralyn asked with excitement in her voice.

"We can go home." Riley asked with hope in her voice.

"You can go home." She said laughing and Riley joined her.

"No! Those dishes come back with twice the fury. They come in here. You scrape. You rinse. They go on here, where they go on their little dish journey, where they are reborn as clean dishes for tomorrow. Hallelujah! Say it." She shouted.

"Hallelujah." Lollie spoke.

"Say it." Maya said.

"This is it. You ready?" She asked.

"How bad can middle school lunch get?" Riley asked.

"Goodbye, tiny little girls. Let's do this thing." She said and walked out.
﹏﹏﹏﹏

"They have been served." Maya said.

"By us." Riley said tirelessly.

"The servers."

"Except no one smiled." Riley said.

"And nobody said "thank you."" Maya added.

"And nobody even knew my name. And I go to school with these people." Riley said.

"Welcome to my world." Mrs. Geralyn said.

"Well, at least the hard part is over." Lollie said not knowing she was wiping potatoes on her forehead.

"No, now comes the actual, actual hard part." She said.

"Why do you keep making that same joke?" Maya asked.

"Look over here. Wait for it. Here it comes. Wait for it." Mrs. Geralyn said standing behind Lollie but only one plate came out of the machine.

"What? This is it? Oh, I got this. This is nothing. I'll do it all. Scrape. Rinse. Hallelujah. Maya, Lollie, you guys might as well go home." Riley said drying the plate.

"How bad do you think this is gonna be?" Maya asked Mrs. Geralyn.

"That was the first raindrop." She said.

"Before what?" Riley asked.

"Noah." Then a humongous pile of dirty plates arrive.

"Lollie!" Riley shouted and grabbed them both Maya and Lollie towards her.

"We did it." Riley said moving a piece of hair out of her face.

"Please tell me there isn't another actual, actual hard part." Maya asked.

"No, you're done." Mrs. Geralyn said.

"Hallelujah." Riley and Maya said.

"Winter, you don't look tired." Riley said.

"I live with my brother no need for me to be tired.

"Noah Parker?" Mrs. Geralyn asked.

Lollie only shook her head.

"Bless your soul."

"Why don't you three go to the locker room, hit the showers, and freshen up." Mrs. Geralyn said.

"I'm filthy." Riley said looking at herself up and down.

"We don't want anybody to see us like this." Maya told her.

"I don't care." Lollie said.

"Well, I don't see where you have any other choice." Mrs. Thompson said.

Lollie stood at the push door watching Maya and Riley pile up and the conveyor belt.

Lollie shook her head and headed towards her locker.

"Nice look Lollie." Farkle told her.

"Thank you, Farkle."

"Hard day?" Janitor Harley asked.

"Not really. What about you guys?"

"Could've been worse." Lucas told her.

"You better head towards the cafeteria this one kid wasn't looking so hot."

The three looked at each other and scurried towards the cafeteria.

Lucas walked back towards Lollie.

"You have potatoes on your face."

"At least I can eat my mess." She told him wiping dirt off of him.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Lollie!" Her mother shouted.

"Yes."

"You stink."

Lollie looked up at her mother and just stared.

"No, I'm sorry."

"Finn! You stink!"
﹏﹏﹏﹏

"In nineteen twenty-nine, our country fell apart. Not only because the economy suffered, but because we neglected the working-class people who served us with pride and dignity." Riley explained in front of the class.

"And because we never cared enough to get to know them, they were easily taken for granted and became "the forgotten." Can anybody tell us who this is?" Maya asked pointing towards Mrs. Geralyn.

"The lunchroom lady." Sarah said.

"I think she has a name." Mr. Matthews said

"I do. Three Taco Sarah." Mrs. Geralyn said towards her.

"This is Geralyn Thompson and she knows all of your names. She's worked at this school for twenty years, and I can tell you that her job is not easy." Lollie spoke, not noticing she was fumbling with her fingers.

"Because she has over a thousand children and when you feed a thousand children, you have to make sure it's something that everybody can eat." Maya said.

"And even if she would like to spice things up a bit, she knows not to. Because it's what's right for everyone. She takes pride in her work, her kitchen, her cooking, and us." Riley said.

"And I'm proud that I was able to stand in her shoes for a day. This lady right here does it every day... for us." Lollie said.

"Geralyn. Remember that name. Whatever we end up doing in life, we have to do it with the same pride and enthusiasm as her." Maya told the class.

"Boys." Mr. Matthews said looking at them.

"We've seen things." Farkle said hugging himself on the desk.

"You don't know, man. You weren't there." Lucas said.

"They went in as boys, they came out as I don't know. I don't know what they are now." Janitor Harley said.

"We'd be lying to you if we told you janitorial services was our first pick. But I wouldn't trade this experience for a trip to the moon." Lucas said.

"That was an elective?" Farkle asked.

"Janitor Harley is a good man. You have no idea what he goes through for you." Lucas said watching Lollie fumble with her fingers.

"You may not even notice that he's there. But I promise you this, you would notice if he wasn't there." Farkle said.

"The clean tables, the immaculate classrooms, the shiny floors; they don't magically happen. They take a ninja." Lucas explained.

"Ninja." Janitor Harley whispered.

"People who go through things for you, people who pour their heart and souls into their jobs because they care should be valued and embraced. You should look them in the eye and say "thank you."" Mr. Matthews said.

"Thank you." They all said.

"I appreciate that." Mrs. Geralyn.
﹏﹏﹏﹏

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Geralyn. How are you?" Lollie asked.

"I'm fine, Lollie. Thanks for asking."

Lollie sat down at her table and dipped her fries into her potatoes.

"Room for two more?" Lucas asked.

"There's room for two more all the way over there." She said pointing towards Riley and Maya.

"Change is different and I'm gonna sit here." Farkle said, "If that's okay?"

Lollie looked down and smiled.

"It's all yours."

﹏﹏﹏﹏

Word Count: 2466

Episode: Girl Meets The Forgotten

Pages: 40

what's better sophia and lucas // lollie and lucas (sophia is in my pervious book)

update lol: both those stories are cringe and i can't fix them lol