Helloooo readers~
Is my slowness really irritating?
I'm sorry. I just have a lot of things to do all the time (Like watch Heroes and Futurama). And I've had this biology project that I've been picking at…Yeah. Anyway the new chapter is here so enjoy~
"So that was fun. The food fight." Remy tried for small talk.
"Whatever you say." Z didn't look up from her homework.
"Are you seriously doing trig?" Remy stood on his toes to look at the computer screen.
"Alex wants us to have good grades, doesn't he?" Z flicked him in the forehead. "Shoo."
"Ow! I'm not a dog. You can't just shoo me away." Remy frowned.
"Shoo." Z repeated.
"I'm not going away until you give me what I want~" Remy sang.
"And what, exactly, would you like?" Z asked sarcastically.
Remy thought about it. "A cold, hard slap in the face!" Z easily complied. "Ow! One- I was kidding. Two- hahaha you touched me!"
Z rolled her eyes. "Launchies are more mature than you."
"I'd believe it." Remy shrugged.
"You're impossible."
"Glad to hear it."
Z voided for the silent treatment.
"Z. Z. Hey Z." Remy poked her arm.
"What?" Z asked through her teeth.
"I think you're pretty without any makeup on. I think you're funny when you tell the punchline wrong-"
"Stop right there." Z held her hand up.
"It was worth a shot." Remy said.
"No, it really wasn't." Z returned.
"You! Make! Me!"
Z covered her ears.
"Feel like I'm livin' a teen-age dream!"
Z threw her pillow at Remy.
"The way you turn me on! I-can't-sleep!"
Z threw her laptop.
No more lyrics came out of the unconscious Remy.
"Do you think he's OK?" Tiana gushed, prodding at the tender spot where the laptop hit his head.
"Well, he can sleep now." Z shrugged.
"Remy?" It was Alex's voice.
"Dude, how long was I out?" Remy put an arm over his eyes to keep back the light.
Alex looked at the clock. "Twelve minutes."
"Niiice." Remy grinned, then sat up. His head lolled a little. He caught his reflection in the chrome desk, and noticed a dark spot on his cheek shaped like a hand, and a more squarish one on his forehead. "I look real bent out of shape." He observed.
"Most guys give up when the girl bruises him with a slap." Alex said, concerned.
"Ah, but I'm not most guys." Remy reminded. "I'm Remy Thompson, second-in-command only to the great Alex O'Neil!" He laughed a little.
"Don't flatter yourself." Alex stood up from the chair he had been sitting in. "You feel well enough run in a few hours?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?" Remy wondered.
"Fitness testing. It's today. I don't want you to have to skip anything and get no credit. It's not good for your grades."
"Mmph! Err! Ah!" Remy made miscellaneous noises in attempt to touch his toes.
"It's OK if you can't do it this year…" Alex assured.
"No! This year will be the year!" Remy insisted.
"It's been the year every year since we got launched out here. Some people just can't do it."
"Remy can't touch his toes?" Tiana asked curiously.
"Yeah. It's a real pain." Remy grumbled, still straining.
"But…It's so easy." Tiana frowned. She demonstrated by leaning over, holding her toe and effortlessly drawing her leg up parallel to her torso.
"Yeah, Remy. What's wrong with you?" Z showed off a scorpion.
"Pshhh, girls with their flexible-ness…" Remy tried once more to reach for his feet. "'Least guys are stronger."
"Wanna bet?" Z's competitive streak flared at that.
"You are so on. Push-ups are at 1400." Remy grinned.
"There's more than one test. Mile run at 0900 and curl-ups at 1200." Z reminded. "Best two out of three."
"If I win?" Remy asked.
"What do you want?" Z was confident that she would be victorious.
"Make out. And mean it. Or, at least act like you mean it or something. Whatever hookers do."
Z rolled her eyes. "I could have guessed. Don't count on that. And if I win…I get to borrow your rank. Toon leader, for a battle or two."
"Ooh, don't count on that." Remy was equally confident in his abilities. "No take-backs. Shake on it."
Z stopped him before he could spit, then shook his hand.
"You know, I never said anything about guys being faster." Remy pointed out while they stretched before the run.
"The mile is about stamina, not speed." Z reminded. "No takebacks, anyway. If you can't handle it, might as well just give the the rank up now."
"In that case, you better pucker up right now, Z. I don't count on losing this round, either." Remy challenged with a wink and a blow-kiss.
Z pretended to gag and returned to her stretching. Remy followed the stretches as far as his lack of flexibility allowed- if she was stretching, it must do some good to her speed.
"All right, line up everybody." The gym supervisor called out from the track.
Remy wedged himself between Z and the boy next to her. "Ready?" he asked.
"For what? A brand new second-in-command position?" Z took her turn grinning. "Absolutely."
"Don't get your hopes up!" were Remy's parting words as he bolted off. Z rolled her eyes and kept a decently fast, steady pace. Remy slowed down through the middle of the race and Z easily passed him as he panted. Towards the end, Remy sped up again and caught up with Z.
"Slow and steady wins the race, hm? Think again, tortoise!" Remy laughed and darted ahead.
"Only one leg left…" Z figured, pulling together all her speed to catch up with him.
"7:08, 7:09…" Somebody was slower.
With devastation, Remy realized it was him. "Well-played, tortoise." He smirked, and offered a hand to shake. After hesitation, Z took his hand. Remy considered jerking her in and doing something rash, but decided against it. "See you at curl-ups."
BRRRREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKKKKK
"I'm pretty sure I can handle this one." Remy was sure. He pulled up his uniform shirt to show off his surprisingly well-defined abs. "You can look at it for free, but if you want to touch it, it'll cost you."
"Don't get to big for your britches, boy." Z was hardly fazed. She pulled up her shirt halfway to show that she had strength there, too.
"Dang, I was hoping for a full flash." Remy complained. He sat down to practice before the test.
"Don't wear out your strength." Z warned.
"Yeah, that's weird." Tiana said, rubbing butter on her stomach.
"Uhh…" Alex contributed.
"Everybody knows that rubbing butter on your muscles makes them stronger." Tiana said. "Want some?" she offered with a glob of butter on her fingertip.
"I'm fine, thanks." Alex passed.
"Andrada! Shirt on!" The gym supervisor insisted.
"Yes sir!" Tiana saluted, pulling the hem down. She continued to rub under the shirt.
"Thompson, Kelley, O'Neil and Andrada. Line up here for the next test." The supervisor instructed. The four sat down and waited until it was their turn.
"I'm going to outlast all of you!" Tiana was sure.
Remy laughed. "Tiana, your waist is like three inches around. You don't have any muscle."
"You'd be surprised." Z said. "Ti's pretty strong for her size. Or, at least, she is when she uses enough butter."
"Do you use butter?" Remy asked, incredulous.
"Please. It's just a placebo. Just don't tell her otherwise and you'll see." Z said.
"What's a placebo?" Tiana tilted her head.
"It means it only works on you because you're Hispanic." Z covered.
"Oh, OK." Tiana smiled cheerily, and assembled herself into curl-up position when the others did.
"Up…one. Up…two…" drawled the tape. One would think they'd replace it in so many years.
Remy and Z were pretty evenly matched. Tiana was ahead of the game, curling without any strain. Alex, on the other hand, was fit but was falling apart as they reached the high numbers. Glad he wasn't taking the bet, Alex left quietly.
"Up…sixty-five. Up sixty -six…"
"You're not giving up, are you?" Remy asked, turning to look at Z.
"Never." Z insisted, though she was a little ragged.
"We still have push-ups."
"Win…all…three…" Z fell. "OK, fine. You win this round."
"Up…eighty-three. Up…eighty-four…"
Remy retreated, exhasperated. "Holy shit…Tiana, you're still at it?"
"Uh-huh." Tiana grinned.
"This now completes the curl-up test."
"Don't you wish you were Hispanic right now." Tiana waved a butter smeared finger in his face.
Upon Z's arrival in the gym, Remy began flexing his muscles- or lack thereof.
"Remy, I am going to hit you with a truck." Z warned.
"Uh, Z? I don't think there are any trucks lying around in Command School." Remy laughed.
"I am going to hit you with a truck." Z repeated, narrowing her eyes. Remy held his hands up defensively.
"Line up." The supervisor said for the final test- push-ups. All the students got into rows and laid flat on their stomachs. Tiana made last-minute additions to the butter on her arms.
"Thank you, Tiana." Alex tried to look gracious as his girlfriend painted a smiley face with her butter on his arm.
"The push-up test will commence in five, four, three, two…"
Z gnashed her teeth and tried to drown out the tape. Like many things- including the spikey-haired Shark that insisted on taking the spot next to her- it annoyed her.
"Down…one. Down…two…"
She really should have vented her anger before the test, she realized. The sound of Remy breathing made Z want to quit the test and kick him in the face.
"Down…seven. Down…eight."
"Z. You're fuming." Remy acknowledged.
"Just shut up and continue the test!" Z snapped. A/N By the way, guys, nobody knows this but the Z-Snap originated from Z Kelley.
"Will do." Remy would have saluted, but he was busy doing push-ups. And that also might hint that he'd let her win. No way was he going to give up his prize.
"Down…nineteen. Down…twenty…"
Remy thought it might be funny if he elbowed Z at every down. Z didn't. She lashed out and pulled out his arm so that he collapsed and his face met the floor. "Oww…" Remy complained, getting back in position.
"Down…thirty-six. Down…thirty-seven…"
Z's frame shook not with weakness, but with anger. She didn't know why she was so angry- she was going to win, right? But then she dropped, not realizing all of the strain she had put on herself.
Remy bit his lip, trying to keep back his excitement. He continued the test for a few more push-ups to prove he could do it, then sprung out of position and went to confront Z. She stomped on his foot as he opened his mouth, then brought her knee up into his kiwis.
"Oww…I'm going to need those tonight!"
"Spare me." Z shot the worst glare she had ever emitted at him.
Remy led Z into the battle simulation room. He knew nobody came by there at this hour, so that was good, unless Z kept a dagger in her uniform. Well, one way to find out if she does, he figured. Remy sat himself in the commander's chair and grinned triumphantly.
"Let's get this over with." Z sent one more death glare his way, and then she straddled him.
WHOO YAY IT'S DONE. Originally I was going to ask people who they wanted to win the bet, but I figured this outcome would get my readers more rowdy. (:
P-S-Y
C-H-E-D
Get psyched get psyched get rowwwwdy! (That was a cheer from my brother's football game btw)
Love,
Maddie
XOXOXO
