The following day at CHHS
The boys arrive at school and Eric is mocked again by the students in the hallway. Elvis advises him to be cool and not take it personal. They get to their lockers to fetch their stuff for class, there, a bully tries to pick on Eric. Elvis stands up for his brother by engaging the bully in a fist fight but then a teacher shows up, calming the situation. Lucky for Elvis, he obviously didn't stand a chance against the bully almost twice his size but at least everyone acknowledged his bravery and no one will try to pick on him.
Free period in Elena's class. As a friendly girl, she finds herself talking with a group of other girls, they seem cool and all that but with more minutes into the conversation she begins to notice some irritating traits they possess. They're show offs and fond of saying belittling and demeaning things about other people. Right now their conversation is about a girl in their class who dances really good. Their countenance toward the girl shows dislike. According to them "she talks to just a few people in the class" but the more they talk, the more Elena observes that they're just being jealous mostly because the girl was allowed to be part of the highschool cheerleading squad despite being an eight grader. Elena tries to linger and go with the flow but she just can't stand the negative energy in their midst. Feeling an urge to say hi to the girl they're talking about, she excuses herself, goes over to the girl's table, pulls a nearby empty seat closer and sits, starting a conversation.
"Zoey, and you?" She replies Elena who asked for her name.
After school, Elena tries to acquaint her new friend with her brothers. Zoey recognizes the two boys, especially Eric, from the previous day's tryouts, she laughs at him. Although hurting his feelings was not her motive for doing so, his mood changes and he walks out on them. Elvis is mad at his sister and her new friend, going after his brother. Zoey apologizes to Elena, promising to apologize to Eric personally the following day.
At home, The Mance's place.
Dinner time, Eric seems to be without his appetite. Their mom, Emily, observes this and tries to know what's going on with him. Eric gives a fake smile, trying to mask his emotions but Elvis takes it upon himself to explain the situation. She laughs and tells them that they're still kids. Her statement stirs up disapproving expressions on their faces, the boys hate being referred to as kids. She tells them that they're still freshmen and have spent barely a week in school, imploring Eric to try as much as possible not to let stuff get to him. She encourages them that they'll get the popularity they want when the time comes. The funny thing is that Eric doesn't really care about popularity, he just wanted to please his brother. However, all what she's saying seems to fall on deaf ears as he refuses to touch his food. He leaves everyone on the dining table and goes to his room.