-Later That Day-
Jo waved back to Eva as she walked into her next class: ROTC. Eva either didn't notice or didn't care as she walked away, but Jo could almost respect that. She wasn't much one for pleasantries either.
They'd spent a mostly quiet lunch together. Quiet, but not exactly awkward. Every once in a while when Jo tried to discuss plans about how to get on the football team, Eva would take her headphones out and nod. That was an accomplishment, right?
They didn't have any classes together, but Eva was the only person Jo saw at lunch alone. Like Jo, girls seemed scared of her, and she didn't seem to get much attention from guys (aside from the snickers about some video going around where she threatened Coach.) or anyone really, so she figured, where better else to sit than with someone who wouldn't reject her, either. But in her other classes she was on her own.
Sitting in the first seat she found, Jo laid back listlessly, yawning.
"Um, ex-CUSE me?" A tall, skinny Asian girl in a cheerleader uniform walked up to Jo. "That's MY seat! Who even are you?"
"Your seat? Is there assigned seats?"
"No, but I sit there every day. It's at the front where I belong, so, wanna move? Ladies first, you know?" she smirked.
"Yeah, uh-huh. Who even are YOU? Got some weird power trip where you have to be in the front? Yeah, I've seen that before in you little cheerleader girls who can't even run a lap around the track. Can't best anyone physically so they have to resort to childish catty BS like this. You're, what- "
"NEW CADET!" Another voice called out and ran up to Jo with his hand out. "Welcome to the platoon! I'm the commander of this class. You can call me Sergeant Brick McArthur!"
Jo looked at his hand in what appeared to be disgust, making no movement, but Brick was unfazed.
"We sure love newcomers here and welcome them to the team- I see you already met Heather here! She's second in command to me."
"Didn't take you for the battalion type," Jo glared.
"I like to be in control," Heather smiled smugly.
"Heather, how's about you let our new private- what's your name?"
"…Jo."
"Jo! How about you let Jo sit here?"
"How about NO!"
"Heather…You know I wouldn't want to give a bad report to your cheerleading coach and get you kicked off the squad. You know your grades aren't the best and this class is one of your only-"
"Fine!" Heather said, but whispered to Jo, "This is NOT over."
"Yeah, ok. Cheerleading isn't a real sport, by the way," Jo said. Heather fumed back to her seat, practically growling.
Jo grinned smugly. "So, Brick, if that's really your real name, just what exactly do we even do in here?"
"Well, glad you asked, Jo! Today's PT day, physical training! You have to have certain running times and pushups within a minute to pass Basic training."
Jo smiled. "Piece. Of Cake."
The sun blazed down on the track & field, but Jo hardly noticed it as she yelled aloud,
"37…ugh, 38, 39, 40!"
Finishing her pushups while almost everyone else was still grunting and falling in exhaustion on their stomachs, Jo began running the required Mile. A blond guy noticed her coming up and started sprinting.
"Stupid male pride."
Brick stared on.
"Aren't you supposed to be supervising everybody, not JUST me?" Jo asked, panting.
Brick saluted her. "Respect, private! Almost hitting the male requirements!"
"Yeah. Whatever."
After school, Jo waved Eva over.
"So. Still on for trying out for football?"
"I say we pummel Hatchet until he lets us join! Just straight up beat his ass. I know where they keep the baseball bats."
"Uh, trying not to burn any bridges here! Just sayin'."
Eva glared at her counterpart, but seemed to relent.
"I say we just show him what we got. Then he CAN'T deny us!"
"Wouldn't be so sure about that…"
Just as the girls got to the field where practice was held, Jo noticed some kids from ROTC practicing something at the edge of the field with Brick, and the cheerleaders practicing by the bleachers. There was Heather, yelling as usual.
"AMY! SAMEY! I don't care that you're one of the smallest, you GET on the BOTTOM of that pyramid now or, as captain, I will personally have you kicked off!"
"Ugh," Jo groaned, recognizing her.
"Ow!"
"LINDSAY! WHY do you keep showing up to practice in high heeled boots and then stepping on everyone in the pyramid?! You're ruining everything! God!"
"Ha. What's their deal?" Jo laughed.
A goth girl with blue and black hair who was passing answered, "That one there? That's Lindsay. She's one of the dumbest girls you'll ever meet."
"I sat next to her in English last year," Owen, who also happened to be walking by, added, "She asked me how to spell Orange."
"Oh, and that one? That's Courtney. She's totally rich because her dad invented toaster streudal. She knows everybody's business. And her?"
Heather stomped up to Lindsay, spitting more demands in her face, then turned to immediately smile and wave at the football players passing by.
"Evil takes a human form in Heather. She's the queen bee. She-"
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard enough! Don't care!" Jo ran onto the field, with Eva following behind, and caught up with the team, ready to practice.
"Ey! Didn't I tell you little girls that this ain't your place?"
The guys on the team mostly stared at the two girls, some in disgust, some in pity. One just looked on in confusion.
"We're here to show you what we got! You WON'T be disappointed," Jo declared proudly.
When Hatchet didn't respond, one of the guys, Alejandro, said, "You can't seriously expect us to play with girls? Not much honor in that, is there?" causing the rest of the team to chuckle.
Noticing the commotion, a figure ran over to Jo, who raised a brow.
"Jo! You here to try out for the Raiders?" Brick asked.
"Um, the what?"
"For ROTC! Our Raiders team competes in physical events against other schools nationally! You'd be perfect for it!" Brick seemed overly eager, smiling widely at Jo.
"Nahhh, not really a sport, not interested. I'm here for the one TRUE sport- football!"
The guys laughed again, except one tall, confused, dim looking guy. "Then come show the Captain, Lightning, what you got! SHA-BAM!"
"They're not-" Alejandro started, before sighing and relenting to what was obviously a lost cause.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Jo smiled.
Hatchet eyed the two warily. "What I'm seeing is, I'm not getting rid of you girls easily. So fine. You wanna be on the team? Start from the bottom like everyone else did, and GET THESE BOYS SOME DAMN WATER! Coolers are in the shed! Get em and get back here!"
Eva growled and started to rage, but Jo held her back. "Just do it… for now! I'll think of an idea."
Jo and Eva filled up the coolers with hose water, while Eva cursed under her breath and everyone else actually on the team began a scrimmage.
"Unbelievable," Jo said. "First I have to deal with psycho Heather, and then after all those days at the gym the best I can do is "water bo- girl?" Why? Because we're girls? Never stopped me from anything before!"
Just then, that Courtney girl who Jo recognized from earlier, walked out of the nearby bathroom.
"What? Did you guys want to be cheerleaders? I wouldn't even bother. The captain is a textbook case narcissistic psycho."
Eva and Jo laughed cynically.
"Uh, NO. But that's basically our only option with Coach Ratchet over there holding us down for no reason."
"What! He can't DO that, you know. If that were me, which it wouldn't be but hypothetically, I'd sue his ass! Ever heard of Title IX? He can't stop you guys from trying!"
"Wait… really?" Jo's interest piqued.
"Yeah. I'd call my lawyers in a heartbeat."
"Well, do it then!"
"What'd I have to gain?" Courtney shrugged. "If it doesn't affect me, sorry, but it's not really my issue. Unless it's Student Government election season, which it's not, soooo…"
Courtney started to walk away, but Jo got up and grabbed her arm.
"You don't like that girl, do you? The tall one? Heather?"
"Um, no. But why do you care?"
"Can't stand her either. Gets in my way. I don't like people in my way. You'd kill to be in her place, wouldn't you? Being the head of the team and telling everyone how to dance around or whatever you guys do?"
"Uhhh..yeah, but-"
"What do you say you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?" Jo smiled evilly. "I have an idea."