After class, the four of them walked together to the quad, where they collected their lunches.  Arthur and Michelle then went to sit with friends, while Christopher and Astrid sat with their regular companions.  In addition to the two of them, there were Toby and Austin, as well as Denise Brown, Bud Collins, and the two Valeries.  Denise was one of Astrid’s oldest friends.  She was about the same height as the teen inventor but was a little on the skinny side.  She had recently bobbed her blond hair short and added a new piece of jewelry: a tiny gold ring in her nose.  Bud Collins was a tall, thin boy with black hair, and was the most recent addition to the gang, though Astrid and the others had known him since Junior High.  Finally, there was Valerie Diaz, who had been friends with Astrid and Denise for years.  She had a crewcut of black hair, as well as flashing brown eyes.  The second Valerie was Robot Valerie.  She was the result of one of Astrid’s experiments almost two years before.  She had a metallic blue polycarbonate skin and long blue hair but was otherwise very similar to Regular Valerie.

“I can’t believe I’m a blue belt now,” said Austin.

“I don’t think any of us can,” said Toby.

“Oh, I believe it,” said Astrid.  “Austin has worked really hard.”

“Did you get a blue belt, Astrid?” asked Robot Valerie.

“Um, no.  I’m still a white belt.”

“Holy smoke!” exclaimed Austin.  “I’m beating Astrid Maxxim in a school class.”

“That’s true,” said Astrid, looking down at her meal for the first time.

It consisted of grilled salmon, rice pilaf, roasted potato and green bean medley, and broiled mango for dessert.

“Do you think we get too much fish in our lunches?” Denise asked no one in particular.

“No,” said Astrid.  “I think our lunches are the last thing we should complain about.  We have a Michelin star chef and most kids in this country have frozen pizza or hot dogs.”

“Yes, well,” said Denise.  “I heard on TV that you were a socialist.”

“And I like fish, too,” said Astrid.