Author's Note: Heeeyy! I'm back :D! Did you miss me? Sorry for how long it took for this new chapter but I really needed the break. I'm feeling a lot more positive about this year so hopefully updates will be a lot more consistent :). I'm quite excited for this new one. Some fairly significant stuff goes down in this one. Anyway, that's all from me: hope you enjoy!

It was a mild, summer day in Bandle City, but that did little to stem the enthusiasm emanating from all the high-school students only a few weeks out from school's end. A mix of excitement and anticipation was running high through the young yordles, ramping the naturally lively and chaotic atmosphere up to eleven.

Tristana, of course, ignored this as she made her way through the midday crowd; she had enough on her plate without worrying about everyone else's nerves and fears. The churning in her stomach increased at the sight of her workout clothes stacked neatly at the front of her locker. Today was the day. The day she was going to make her dream a reality. Today she was going to try out for the Megling Commandos. And she was terrified.

A close presence behind her had the blue girl turning with a smile, expecting to be greeted by a manically, grinning face or the short, scowling form of her friends. Instead she blinked in surprise at the suave smile, piercing blue eyes and a short-furred face way too close to her own.

The girl fought the urge to roll her eyes at the tall yordle. "Connor," she greeted him shortly. "Ever hear of personal space?"

"Hey Trist," he flashed her a winning grin, ignoring her comment as he closed her locker door to lean against. Tristana managed to keep her face neutral but that didn't stop her ears from flicking once in annoyance. Connor didn't notice. "So I was thinking, it's almost the end of the year right and we're graduating soon. It'd be a shame to let that go past without celebrating it. So I thought to myself, what better way to end the year than with a party! I'm holding it at my place tonight. You should totally come. It'll be a blast! Almost everyone from our year will be there. But it wouldn't be the same without you."

Tristana shot him sceptical look, "Gee, that sounds like a tonne of fun." The tan yordle completely missed the sarcasm, his smile widening at her words. "But I can't. I have plans for tonight."

He pouted, trying to look cute. "Aww, come on. Our school year's about to end and it's only for one night. I'm sure your pals won't mind waiting one evening. I mean really, what would you rather be doing?"

Honestly, anything else, Tristana bit her tongue before the words could verbalise, instead settling for a frosty, "Trying to get into the job I want. Which, funnily enough, is exactly what I'm doing tonight."

With that blunt statement, the blue girl pushed past the boy to head to lunch but Connor persistently kept up.

"Playing hard to get huh? That's what I like about you Trist. You're not afraid to be yourself around me. But come on. You're always spending so much time working and trying to become a Megling. There's more to life than that. You need to socialise more. Live a little." A rough hand on her wrist stopped her forward march, causing Tristana to turn in frustration.

However, before she could object a surly voice cut them both off as its owner pushed himself between the two. "Hey! I know you're stupid but even you can't be that dense. She said she's not interested, so back off!"

Tristana sighed, a mixture of happiness, resignation and irritation expelled at the sight of her bristling friend currently facing down Connor.

The tan yordle stared down Rumble distastefully. "Oh yeah?" he mocked. "And who are you to say what she wants? You're not her boyfriend."

The red flush consuming his face was easily distinguishable against the blue of his fur. Rumble stepped forward with a growl, only for Tristana's quick reflexes to catch his arm before the confrontation escalated. As much as she loved her friend dearly, in times like this she really wished Ziggs were here instead. At least then she wasn't guaranteed of needing to stop a fist fight.

"Connor, for the last time. I don't have a boyfriend. I don't want a boyfriend. And if I did they certainly wouldn't be speaking for me. Now, like my good friend was trying to clarify, I already said I'm not interested. Now if you would excuse me, I'm late for lunch. Come on Rumble." Forcefully pulling the shorter boy away from the other, she tried to ignore the words tossed after them.

"Friends, ri-ght. We all know why that ragtag group follow your every whim and it's not because of your charming personality. Well, I guess for a bunch of losers they have good taste. Personally, I would love to-" His sentence was cut off as forcefully as Rumble's punch. The heavy hit causing the boy to real backwards from the sheer force of fury set behind it.

As Connor regained his balance, he looked up, the burning hatred distorting his good looks just as much as the mottling bruise already swelling along his jaw. Rumble met his glare head on. The fuming yordle took a step forward for another go, only for an unyielding grip on his jacket to pull him up short.

"Rumble stop!" Tristana's voice cut through the haze of anger clouding his mind. The taller girl pulled him back a step as Connor retreated; the look he shot back telling Rumble that this wasn't over.

Bring it, he thought smugly.

A sharp blow to his ear quickly brought his attention back to the girl behind him. Turning, he was met by a pair of narrowed turquoise eyes baring into him.

Shifting nervously, he shrugged, "What?"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say as the blue girl exploded, "Don't you 'what' me. I can't believe you punched him. Actually, the sad part is, I can. Seriously, how hard is it for you not to start a fight?"

"Hey! I didn't start it, I just finished it."

"Rumble," the girl's voice held a note of warning, causing the short boy to quickly continue.

"Besides, you don't have to worry, I won't punch him again. That fucking hurt! No wonder he's so dense, his head felt like it was made out of solid rock." The yordle shook his hand in emphasis.

An explosive sigh forced its way out of Tristana and she lowered her head into her hands. "Language Rumble," she reprimanded him.

The steel-blue teen sent her an irritated look, "Don't you dare start on me about that, you hypocrite. I know you swear too. Or did you think we'd forgotten about the giant hissy fit your mother had when she heard you?"

She matched his glare, "But I don't swear at school. Between that and the fighting, it's like you're trying to get expelled. Come on Rumble, we have three weeks till graduation. Three weeks! Could you at least try not to get into any more fights until then? I know even you can do that long."

The short yordle gave her a non-committal shrug, "I'm not going to sit around and let him say those things about you."

Tristana rolled her eyes, a hard edge coming into her voice, "I can take care of myself you know."

"Oh I know. Hard to refute that when you've been taking care of us for years," Rumble commented casually. He paused indecisively before admitting, "But I know you're trying to get into the Meglings Unit. You can't afford to have something like that on your school record. At least if I punch him, everyone expects it of me. At this stage it's not like it matters what it does to my record. Nor does anyone care."

The last part was mumbled, not meant to be heard. Tristana felt her anger melt out of her frame. Damn. It was always so hard to stay mad at her friends. As infuriating and crazy as they may be, she could never fault their compassion and loyalty.

"Well I care," she jostled his shoulder good-naturedly. "I want to graduate with both of my friends. Cause they mean more to me than anyone in this school. And maybe even more than my chances of getting into the Commandos."

Her grin said more than any words could and Rumble couldn't help but meet it with a small one of his own.

"Thanks Trist," his amber eyes were soft and open, causing the girl's heart to constrict at the ever-raring look. What she wouldn't give for them all to be young and naïve again.

Instead of dwelling on it she let her grin grow wider. "Well, now that I've successfully dealt with your daily disaster, where's troublemaker number two? We still have another 15 minutes of lunch. That should be enough time to get to him before something explodes right?"

A small frown tugged at the short yordle's lips. "Yeeah, about that. Ziggs' is in the cafeteria trying to ask Victoria out."

"Shit," Tristana swore.

"Language," Rumble jeered, earning him a jab in the ribs.

Ignoring her friend's pout, Tristana started briskly towards the school eatery. "We should probably find him. Chances are he'll need some moral support." She tried to stay positive, "Though you never know, she could say yes."

The blue boy snorted, "I doubt it. That girl's so shallow a desert could hold more water. There's no way she'd look past her popularity status long enough to give him a chance. Not to mention she hates your guts because of how much attention Connor gives you. Honestly, I don't know what Ziggs even sees in her. He's a great friend but his taste in girls sucks."

Tristana frowned, she hated to admit it, but he was right. Victoria was the definition of beautiful. With rosy-pink skin, long blonde hair an immaculate sense of style she made even Tristana self-conscious. Unfortunately, she was also as vain and self-centred as she was pretty. Tristana had seen her cut many a yordle to shreds over the smallest of transgressions. The pale-blue yordle didn't often question her friend's sanity, but right now she was starting to. Really, what was Ziggs thinking?

"Then we better get to damage control fast."

"Actually, that's the other thing." Something about Rumble's words made her pause, turning to take in his sullen pose as he continued. "I can't help. Mr Dean wanted me to meet him in his office to talk to me about my 'wasted potential'. I'll probably be stuck listening to him all lunch. Technically I should be there already but I wanted to give you a heads up about Ziggs. And, well, ahh… I figured, since I'm not likely to see you before then, I figured now would be the best time to wish you luck for tonight. Not that I think you need it, since you'll do great, but I just know how much it means to you." By the end of it, he was mumbling at his feet but that didn't stop the blinding grin Tristana got. "Thanks Rumble," she murmured as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

He tried to pretend that was the reason he couldn't breathe.

Ziggs could feel the butterflies in his stomach rise as he crossed the cafeteria. Idly, his nerve-fogged brain wondered if, when he threw up, he'd barf insects instead. He pushed the feeling down with a giant grin as he approached the pretty, pink yordle and her friends.

Play it cool, he told himself, you got this.

"Hey Victoria," he greeted her.

She looked up at him with a puzzled frown. "Do I know you?"

Ziggs felt his grin dip ever so slightly but he pressed on. "Name's Ziggs. We do chemistry together." At her blank look he felt the butterflies surge back with a vengeance and he started to fumble; becoming conscious of his hands as he continued babbling. "I sit behind you. I was the one who accidently hit you with the rocket-powered paper plane. Ah, sorry about that, by the way. In fact, I probably shouldn't have said anything-"

Come on Ziggs, he mentally berated himself, play it cool and confident.

Leaning up against the table he sent her a megawatt smile. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to-"

Turns out leaning on the table had been a terrible idea, as his hand came down on the edge of a tray and the tawny yordle suddenly found himself performing a spectacular nose dive. Meanwhile, as gravity helped him get reacquainted with the ground, the reactionary force sent the food shooting up, up and, inevitably, down onto him.

Physics is a bitch, he thought bitterly as the girls at the table burst into laughter.

"I remember him now!" A girl with long, grey ears tugged excitedly on her friend's arm. "Vicky, he's the one who blew up the science labs!"

Victoria's look of recognition was not the one Ziggs had wanted. "Oh, so you're combustion kid." She stood up with an apologetic expression, "Look you're cute – sorta like in an awkward dorky way – and normally I might have thought about it. But honestly, I'd like to keep my hair and eyebrows where they are. No offense." With that the group of girls moved off, still giggling.

Despondently, Ziggs watched them go, only to catch sight of a mortified blue face.

Tristana didn't speak as she approached. Sympathy swelled in her aqua eyes but for once, the confident girl was unsure what to say.

Ziggs gave her a half-hearted smile, "Crazy weather we're having isn't it? It's raining pudding!"

The girl humoured him with her own small smile before she sighed. "Come on. I have a towel in my locker you can borrow."