A/N: This chapter of Just Another School Year is ENTIRELY NEW! :D From here on out, with the exception of much of tomorrow's chapter, most of what you'll be reading is completely new content! Aren't you excited? I know I am! I hope you guys like it! *Crosses fingers* Just a small note: I don't believe Megamind would support sports, especially if Metro Man is playing in them, so I hope this doesn't offend anyone in any way. He feels very strongly about the subject, obviously, having been pelted by dodge balls and such. He's more interested in other pastimes... ;P Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind

Just Another School Year

Chapter 7

The days were passing by almost too quickly as Roxanne attempted to get ready for the Homecoming dance. She had gone to every dress store at least twice, if not three times, and had finally picked the perfect dress — a lovely purple gown made of shimmering silk she thought would complement the faint blush of Megamind's cheeks perfectly. Low cut in front with an open back, she hoped it would wow him enough to strike him speechless. She'd shopped for shoes to go with it, bought the perfect jewelry, coordinated makeup, gone through every possible method of styling her short hair she could think of… And still she couldn't help but feel unprepared. If only she knew what Megamind was planning, then maybe she could coordinate her outfit to better match his or something… But the blue teenager was firmly tight-lipped on the subject. "I told you, I'm not ruining the surprise!" he had insisted when she'd paid him a study visit one night in the hopes of squeezing information out of him. "You're just going to have to be patient! You'll see soon enough!" And without giving up another word on the subject, he'd shoved her book at her and insisted she study, though she could see him occasionally sharing conspiratorial glances with Minion.

The Friday before the Homecoming dance was a buzz of excitement around school as students from every grade prepared for their football team's first game of the season, scheduled for that night. Banners had been hung all over the school building, the team name of the "Metro High Cougars" on display everywhere the eye could see. The football team paraded through the halls in team jackets, Metro Dude in the lead encouraging the already over-stimulated students to erupt into spirited cheers and chants, hyping them up in anticipation of the night's big game. Everyone was dressed in the school's colors of white and gold in support of the home team, showing off their school pride. Everyone was overwhelmed with school spirit… Everyone, that is, except Megamind.

Roxanne had been only slightly surprised to find that the charismatic blue teenager refused to conform to the usual conventions every other student followed — including wearing the school colors. He had sauntered into homeroom that morning in his usual black, frowning at the white-garbed throngs of excited students around him and ignoring their cruel taunts for daring to show up in black on a day everyone else felt belonged only to white and gold. She had been grateful to see that Metro Dude had refrained from teasing his rival as the others did, but he had smirked and chuckled, shaking his head in Megamind's direction. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the blue alien… He never could seem to catch a break… "Just ignore them," she found herself whispering to him before Mrs. Green could start taking attendance. He had blinked and looked her in the eye, his vivid green eyes uncertain and anxious about the tension in the air around him. She smiled at him and assured him calmly, confidently, "You look fine. Not everyone has to conform to the same mold. Just be yourself, and don't let them get to you."

Megamind's eyes had flooded with surprised awe as he stared at her, obviously stunned to have heard her show support for his choice of attire. "Miss Ritchi…" he began to speak breathlessly, but before he could say anything further, the teacher began taking roll call. Unable to finish his sentence, he had merely smiled at her softly instead, his cheeks flushing purple, then turned his attention to the notebook in front of him to scribble furiously on its pages. Roxanne smiled to herself as she tried to focus her attention on the day's agenda as well. She loved making him smile… And every time he blushed, her heart skipped a beat. She would have to catch up with him later.

With school spirit running so high and every jock in the building even rowdier than usual, Roxanne was not surprised to find Megamind bailing from his classes even quicker than normal, sometimes even before the bell rang to release the students from their seats. With so many unfriendly eyes pointed at him, his black clothing making him stand out in a sea of white and gold, moving faster than anyone else was the blue teenager's only hope of avoiding being turned into someone's punching bag. For once Roxanne was glad to find she wasn't able to catch him after any of his classes; it meant no one else could either. She hoped he could make it through the day without being caught in too many scrapes… She had come to realize that contrary to popular belief, Megamind very rarely picked the fights he got into; he merely fought back when cornered. She hoped he could avoid being cornered today…

When lunchtime rolled around, Roxanne determined to use the time to find Megamind. The school's only blue-skinned student had an uncanny ability to disappear from sight when he didn't want anyone to find him, but she knew he had to be around somewhere. Checking the chemistry lab to find it empty, she paused as she closed the door behind her, trying hard to think of where he might have gone. She could spend the entire hour looking in every classroom in the building and still not find him. She had to approach this logically. He wasn't in the chemistry lab, or at least not in this one… He'd been flighty all day, constantly dodging jocks who would have loved nothing more than to pound him into the cement… As her eyes strayed to the window looking out over the courtyard, it suddenly hit her: Megamind would not be inside. Not today. With the students seeming to feel especially abusive towards him today, Roxanne knew the new resident "bad boy" wouldn't be caught dead inside the building. There was more hope of escape outside if he was spotted. With this in mind, Roxanne took her bagged lunch and headed outside, certain she would find him there.

Her suspicions had been spot on.

It had taken her a few minutes to find him, but Roxanne finally spotted Megamind resting on a branch high up in an oak tree, mostly obscured by its many green leaves, some tinged orange as the season progressed steadily into fall. She hadn't seen him at first, but his blue skin was a dead giveaway, betraying him to her sharp eyes as she spotted Minion sitting in front of him on the same branch. Megamind was busily writing in his notebook, talking softly to the strangely intelligent fish in a robotic monkey suit, and Roxanne smiled as she drew near. Moving to stand almost directly below him, she greeted him warmly, "So this is where you've been hiding!"

Startled, Megamind jumped at the sound of her voice, then yelped as he lost his balance, tumbling unceremoniously out of the tree to crash head-first into the ground with an unceremonious thud and a loud howl. "Ow!"

Rushing over to his side in concern, Roxanne knelt down beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder as she cried, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! Are you all right?"

Megamind groaned as he dragged himself up onto his hands and knees, shaking his overly-large head before resting a hand on his forehead. His face was flushed a deep violet in embarrassment, his voice shaking as he insisted, "I'm fine… Oh, that hurt…"

"Here, let me help you," Roxanne insisted, and watching his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of purple, she wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she wrapped hers around his, hoisting him up until he was on his feet. Carefully helping him walk a few paces until they reached the tree trunk, she gently guided him to sit down, then drew back to look into his breathless eyes as she asked, "Are you sure you're all right, Megamind? I could go get the nurse for you… Maybe she should check you out, make sure nothing's broken…"

"No… No, that won't be necessary," Megamind insisted, shifting his aching body until he was in a more comfortable position. Minion quickly scurried down the tree, his eyes wide and concerned, and the blue teenager had to brush him aside to get him to stop fussing over him.

"Megamind, that was quite a nasty fall…" Roxanne insisted, but he merely shook his head.

"I'm fine," Megamind insisted firmly. He sighed softly, relaxing back against the tree as he explained, "My biology's slightly different than yours, Miss Ritchi. I'm much tougher than I look. Trust me, I am unharmed."

Roxanne studied him for a moment, her eyes scanning over his incredibly thin frame. It was hard to believe that a body so deceptively frail could be so tough, but she supposed it was possible… "Fine, I won't get the nurse, but here, drink this." She pulled a can of green tea from her lunch bag and pressed it into his blue hand. He frowned at it and she insisted firmly, "It's healthy and full of good things. Tough or not, you just fell out of a tree. If nothing else, it'll soothe your nerves."

Megamind shook his head and tried to pass the drink back to her. "No," he refused gently. "I'm not going to take your drink away from you. That's your lunch; you eat it. I'm fine."

Roxanne merely smirked at him, and opening the can, she passed it back to him, insisting, "Drink it, or I'll get the nurse. Take your pick."

Megamind chuckled, then gave in, sneering at her, "You drive a hard bargain, Miss Ritchi… But have it your way." He took a long sip of the tea and sighed in delight. "Mmm… Not bad…" Blinking at her, he gestured towards her lunch bag. "Shouldn't you go eat?"

Roxanne smiled and sat down beside him as his cheeks colored once more. "I'm going to eat with you today," she informed him softly. He stared at her hard and she admitted, "I was looking for you."

Megamind relaxed back against the tree, though his eyes were beginning to roam as he checked to make sure no one had spotted him yet. "Why?" he questioned softly, then smirked at her as he taunted her, "If you're looking for details on what I have planned for tomorrow, I already told you you'll have to wait!"

Roxanne laughed, her eyes shining as they gazed into his. His vivid green eyes were secretive, but excited, and she knew he was looking forward to the Homecoming dance just as much as she was. "No, no, I gave up on squeezing information out of you days ago… You can be awfully stubborn about keeping your secrets." He laughed and grinned at her mischievously, and she giggled. "No, I just wanted to talk to you. Are you coming to the game tonight?"

Megamind firmly shook his head. "No."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Roxanne admitted. It made perfect sense… He refused to support a team comprised of the very people that bullied him every day, and though she admittedly didn't understand his apparent rivalry with Metro Dude, she could easily understand his refusal to go to his games. "I can't say I blame you… But it is a shame." He blinked at her and she suggested gently, "I have to attend so I can write an article for the school paper… If you were to go, we could sit together." His cheeks colored softly and she smiled at him. "I'd love to get your viewpoint on the game… It'd be an interesting counterpoint to contrast with popular opinion in my article."

Megamind snickered wickedly, then retorted, "If you want my viewpoint, Miss Ritchi, I'll give it to you now: This 'football' game of yours is a useless pastime to entertain mindless masses, and serves no purpose but to elevate the brainless thugs that play it above those of us with the brainpower to rule the world. It glorifies the undeserving and minimizes the importance of the things that truly matter, like intelligence. My time is better spent in a lab, not on some bleat-cher cheering on some dumb jock who just happens to be able to throw a ball. And I will never cheer for Metro Man!"

Roxanne chuckled at the enthusiasm with which he spoke, her eyes sparkling as she remarked, "Very nicely worded, Megamind, though I doubt many would agree with you… Even if you have the brainpower to, as you put it, 'Rule the world.'" Megamind laughed, a delightfully evil smirk on his lips, but he said nothing further, that secretive look creeping into his eyes once again. "I suppose you have a point though. It takes brains to govern, but muscle to maintain order. Everyone has their place; even you and Metro Dude."

Megamind grunted at the mention of Metro Dude's name, but before he could reply, he blinked as he spotted a few members of the football team in the distance, heading in his direction. "Ah, time's up…" he hurriedly remarked, jumping to his feet. Handing her what was left of the green tea, he insisted, his cheeks bright purple, "You can have the rest if you like… I'll see you tomorrow at 7:00!" Without another word, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction just as the jocks spotted him and picked up their pace in pursuit. Roxanne hoped he managed to evade them as they hurried by her, smiling as she took a sip of the green tea. It was the closest she'd come to kissing him yet…

That night, Roxanne headed to the Metro High football field to watch the game. The bleachers were packed, every seat taken by excited students and their families eager to cheer on the Metro High Cougars and root them on to victory. Roxanne had a seat in the front on ground level where she would be able to see and hear everything. She had looked around the growing crowd a few times, her eyes scanning for any sign that Megamind had decided to come after all, but was not surprised to find him missing. He had been pretty firm about his refusal to come, and she knew he wasn't likely to change his mind. After all, she had to admit, a football game was hardly a popular hang-out for the intellectuals of the school; only a few of the high school's geeks dared to come to the event, most of them avoiding the game for what she was certain were similar reasons to Megamind's. Even she would have preferred to be writing about something more mentally stimulating, but the school paper's usual sports writer was home sick, so she had graciously volunteered to cover for him; after all, she had planned on going to the game to cheer on Metro Dude anyway. Now she found herself surrounded by over-stimulated football fans, everyone dressed in white and gold, banners flying, flags waving, air horns blaring, waiting just as they were for the game to begin. Tapping her pencil against her notepad as she prepared herself to take notes, she looked out over the empty football field and smiled softly. She had no doubt this would be one of Metro Dude's finest moments.

When Metro Dude arrived early to warm up the crowd in preparation for the big event, he was greeted by a deafening roar from the excited crowd, Roxanne among them. Wearing his usual practiced smile, the super-powered brawny teenager entertained his audience with impressive displays of his flying ability, dramatically performing aerial somersaults, cartwheels, and acrobatics to the delight of his cheering watchers. Roxanne couldn't help but be impressed. No matter how many times she had seen Metro Dude show off like this, regardless of the tense history he apparently had with Megamind (the details of which she still intended to uncover one way or another), he still managed to awe her with the things he could do, and his natural showmanship made it hard to resist his charms. As she whistled and cheered for her friend at the top of her lungs like every other man, woman, and child around her, she knew this was why Megamind had refused to come… As a very vocal rival to the soon-to-be-hero and a man who made no secret of his distaste for the taller, stronger alien, the last place he would ever want to be would be in a crowd determined to cheer his rival's every move and standing next to a woman doing the very same thing. Even so, she couldn't stop cheering for Metro Dude as he threw apples into the air and used his laser vision to incinerate them before they could hit the ground. He was still her close friend, after all.

When he had finished showing off for the screaming crowd, having soaked up enough of their applause to get his mind in the game, Metro Dude floated effortlessly over to Roxanne, landing gracefully on the ground before her as he flashed her his most charming grin. "Glad you could make it, Roxy!" he greeted her warmly. "The game just wouldn't be the same without you."

Roxanne giggled at him, smiling right back as she assured him, "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Metro Dude. You know that."

Metro Dude's smile brightened slightly. "Are you enjoying the show?"

"Of course," Roxanne chuckled. "Impressive, as always. I especially liked the laser incineration of the apples. Very impressive indeed."

"Ah, you liked that?" Metro Dude questioned hopefully. "I've been practicing that maneuver in the hopes it'd be entertaining."

"Well, it most certainly was," Roxanne assured him, then prepared her pencil to write. "So, Metro Dude, do you have any comments or remarks for the good readers of the Metro High School Enquirer? Any thoughts you'd like to share?"

Metro Dude straightened as he adopted his most heroic pose, lifting his chin into the air as he spoke in a voice more fit for a man than a teenager, "Why, yes, Roxy! As a matter of fact, I do! The Metro High Cougars are dedicated to bringing their 'A' game to the playing field this year, so expect to see a season unlike any other! We plan to eliminate the competition and win the championship! Nothing will keep us down! I, personally, will do my very best to see the team through to victory in every game! This will be a very exciting year for the Metro High Cougars, and we hope our fans will enjoy watching our games as much as we enjoy playing them!"

"Very well spoken!" Roxanne remarked, smiling as she scribbled furiously onto her notepad, making certain to write down every one of his words. "And what are your predictions for the school year?"

"I believe this year will be full of surprises," Metro Dude insisted, but his eyes grew slightly more serious. "Perhaps a mix of good and bad, but rest assured that I will always be there, ready to fight evil and bring justice to those who would destroy it."

Roxanne didn't even miss a beat. Knowing he was speaking of Megamind, she asked him for what she was certain must have been the hundredth time by now, "Metro Dude, will you tell your readers a little about your past connection to the new student, Megamind? How did you meet? Why are you rivals, and what happened to create such obvious bad blood between you?"

Metro Dude grunted and shook his head. "Megamind always has been and always will be a troublemaker," he insisted firmly. "He is no good, and I will be watching him. If he causes trouble, I will be there to stop him. You can count on that."

Roxanne sighed softly under her breath. It was the same answer he'd given her countless times already. He would never go into any further detail. "Very well. Is there anything else you'd like to add, Metro Dude?"

The grin reappeared on Metro Dude's lips as he commented, "Keep your eyes on the Cougars, because this year will be our finest year yet!"

"All right, great! Thank you, Metro Dude," Roxanne smiled at him, then gestured towards the field where she could see the referee getting into place in preparation for the teams' arrivals. "Now go get 'em, Metro Dude! I know you'll blow them away!"

"Thanks, Roxy," Metro Dude smiled at her softly. "I'll see you tomorrow at the dance. Enjoy the game!" Without another word, he took off, flying quickly over to where his team was waiting for him. Roxanne shook her head, smiling awkwardly in his direction. He was in for quite a surprise at the Homecoming dance…