Happy Explosion Day and New Years to all my lovely readers. I must apologize for the shortness of this chapter. It was just to sort of bridge the gap between the summer and the next school year. And it's not as much filler as the last chapter (though those traumatic events may come back later), so I hope you enjoy it. Also, 'zmail' is basically the future version of 'gmail' (so they use Zoogle instead of Google), but 'email' is still the same. I hope that made sense.

Oh, and Brian Holden is Sexymon. Don't question it, and don't ignore her if FuzzehNomNom tells you that Joe Walker is actually Sexymon. 'Kay?

Chapter 3: The Magic of the F5 Button

Nina's POV

Nina woke up at six. She was still tired, but she forced herself out of bed and crawled over to her desk. Half-awake, she turned her computer on and watched blearily as the screen flashed. She stared at her desktop sleepily, not remember why she had logged on in the first place. Then she remembered. It was June 25th. Today, she would find out if she had gotten into the Academy.

Nina signed onto her zmail and wearily sorted through her new emails. Junk, pictures from her mom, junk, spam, and more junk. Disappointed, Nina scrolled through her contacts list to see who else was on. She couldn't think of anybody who would be awake so early, but she saw that Junior was on. She hit the vid. chat option, and suddenly, Junior's tired face illuminated the screen.

"Nina!" Junior exclaimed, slightly surprised. "Have you gotten your email yet?"

Nina shook her head. "No, and I'm guessing by the fact that you seem to be pressing the F5 button every five seconds that you haven't gotten it either."

Junior shook his head grimly. "I've been up since two a.m."

Nina couldn't believe it. "Two a.m.!" she echoed with disbelief.

Junior nodded. "Guess how many cans of coke I've had to drink to stay awake."

Nina shook her head. "No. I don't want to know."

"Do you want to know how many two liter bottles of coke I've drunk?" Junior asked.

Nina shook her head again. "I definitely don't want to know that."

Junior shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"What have you been doing for the past-" Nina checked her watch. "-four hours and ten minutes?"

"Punching the crap out of my F5 button," Junior informed her.

"I'm worried about it too, but don't you think you're a little too worked up about this?" Nina frowned.

Junior sighed. "Probably, but getting in means everything to my dad. If I don't…"

Junior drifted off. Nina had only met Dr. Space-Claw a couple of times, but he had come off as… demanding. A person who set very high expectations and commanded that those expectations be met. And Junior was one of those people who tried to please everyone and became guilty when they didn't.

"You'll get in," Nina assured him.

"Yeah, but-" Suddenly, Junior stopped.

"What?" Nina demanded.

"Nina, refresh your zmail," Junior commanded.

Nina frowned and hit the F5 button. She waited nervously as the page refreshed. Then she saw it. The one email in her inbox. From the Academy.

"You go first," Nina suggested.

Junior's eyes widened with panic. "No. You go first."

"We'll do it at the same time," Nina decided.

Junior looked reluctant, but he nodded. "On three. One, two, three."

Nina clicked on the message. It was long and formal; it went on and on about the history of the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs about the honor of even being considered to join. It went to great lengths to describe the responsibility of being a Starship Ranger and the expectations of the G. L. E. E. Irritated, Nina scrolled down to the bottom, searching for a simple 'you got in'. She found what she was looking for. Right about the Galactic League symbol was a short sentence that said, 'We can't wait to see you in the fall.'

I got in! Nina thought excitedly. She felt a smile form on her face. I got in! I got in!

Junior was still reading over the message, and an idea sprung in Nina's mind. She quickly recomposed herself and waited for Junior to finish reading the letter. She couldn't help but smirk a little bit as she watched Junior's entire face light up with happiness. He leapt up out of his chair and ran around the room cheering joyfully.

When he finished his fourth victory lap, Junior slid back into his seat. A stupid grin was plastered to his face. "I got in!"

I would've never guessed. Nina considered telling him that, but she decided it would be much more fun to stick to her original plan.

Nina grimaced and looked down at the floor sadly. She crossed her arms and sniffled slightly. It was a pathetic display, but Junior was rather gullible. "I didn't."

"Oh." The euphoria drained from Junior's face in an instant. "I'm really sorry."

Nina looked at his distressed expression for a few more seconds before bursting into laughter. "Got you!"

Junior frowned, but confusion quickly turned into excitement. "You got in?" Nina nodded. Junior's entire face glowed with delight. "That's great! We're both going to go! This is so totally awesome! We're really doing it! I… I have to go tell my dad. Just a sec."

Junior sprang up and ran from his room. Nina chuckled as he slammed the door behind him. Same old Junior.