The Pretender: The High School Challenge
Disclaimer: The Pretender doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Craig and Steve. This idea (and Challenge) belongs to me. Also, Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me doesn't belong to me either.
Timeline: This story takes place in an AU timeline.
Challenge Description:
The Pretender gang is all in High School. Jarod, Miss Parker, Lyle, Broots, Kyle, Emily, and Timmy (Angelo) are all students in high School and they are all good friends. Sydney is the guidance Councilor. Mr. Parker is the sometimes good Principal, Raines is the evil Assistant Principal. Catherine Parker is alive and well.
Jarod lives with his family. Parker, the cheerleading captain, looks like her mini-adult self and Jarod, the QB of the football team, looks like Ryan Merriman (Duh...), and has MGM (Mentally Gifted Minors) classes with Kyle and Angelo. That basically means, they do whatever they want for most of the day. Broots is the school's computer genius/geek. Homecoming is in the air.
Will Parker and Jarod go together? Will they be king and queen? Are they even dating (if anyone chooses this, I hope they will be)? Will anyone spike the punch? Does Mr. Parker like Jarod? Does Major Charles like Miss Parker? Will a tragedy shake they lives of all? Ahhh...high school...
Author's Note: I'd like to thank every one in the Pretender Challenge Yahoo Group for supporting me with this story. You all are the coolest!
Chapter One
Blue Cove High School
Blue Cove, Delaware
"Just think, this is our last year…" mused senior, Jarod Charles.
"Yeah and in eleven months, we're out of this place!" cheered his best friend, fellow senior, Jason Broots.
"Oh, come on, Broots." Said the third senior Timmy "Angelo" Churill; "It's not that bad!"
"So says the second smartest kid in the school!" replied Broots.
"Second smartest?!" Cried Angelo, "I've never been so offended in my life!"
Jarod chuckled. He and Angelo were two of the three smartest kids in the entire school. The third was Jarod's brother, Kyle, who was a junior.
From beside him, Jarod's sister, Emily, a sophomore, rolled her eyes. "You over dramatize too much."
Angelo smiled at her. "Says you."
"Quit with the googly eyes! You two drive me crazy!" declared Kyle.
Emily gave her brother a look and shook her head. "You know we're just playing. We have no interest in each other what so ever. Right, Angelo?"
"Right." He agreed.
The group entered the school. And Broots, Angelo, and Jarod all went off to their homeroom leaving Emily and Kyle to go their ways. On the way to the homeroom, Jarod saw a beautiful girl in a short skirt and a peasant top standing with a boy and they were talking with the schools Principal Mr. Parker. Her hair was dark and down alittle past her shoulders. The boy standing next to her had a slight resemblance.
As the three boys passed them, Mr. Parker called Jarod over to him. The teen turned and walked over to them, telling Broots and Angelo he would meet up with them later over his shoulder. When he reached Mr. Parker, he went into polite boy mode, despite the fact he knew Mr. Parker didn't like him.
"Jarod." Said the Principal; "This is my daughter Michaelina and her twin brother Bobby. They are new here and they're seniors and I would like you to show them around."
Jarod nodded and led the twins away. Bobby immediately didn't like the fellow senior. There was this way about him that he didn't like. But, smartly, he kept all this information to himself.
"Do you guy's have any nicknames or anything?" asked Jarod trying to break the ice.
"You can call me Lyle." Said Bobby.
"At my old school, everyone called me Miss Parker." Said Michaelina.
"Can I just call you Michaelina?" asked Jarod.
A happy smile touched her lips. "Only a few people know that, that's my real name."
"I guess I'm special then."
"I guess so." She murmured, "So, Jarod, What's your rank in this school?"
"I'm the smartest kid in this entire school, followed by my best friend Angelo, who's another senior and my brother Kyle, who's a junior. I'm the QB of the football team. And I think I'm the most popular guy in school, but that doesn't matter to me."
"Wow." Said Michaelina, a bit taken back.
Jarod chuckled. "Are you intimidated?"
"Just a little bit."
"Don't be, I never view myself as someone higher than everyone else. Plus I help tutor kids that need help."
"That's good, cuz I fear I'm not that smart, but I have my good looks."
They shared a laugh and Bobby wanted to gag. He could tell his twin was developing a crush on the boy. He sighed softly to himself. Jarod led them around, showing them the library, cafeteria, quad, gym, the rest of where their classes were then finally their homeroom.
"If you ever need me, I'll be in room 106 for the most of the day." He told the twins.
"Okay. Thank you, Jarod." Said Michaelina.
Jarod smiled and walked away, a smile upon his lips. Michaelina followed him with her eyes as he walked away, a similar smile on her lips. Her twin shook his head.
"You disgust me." He told her, going into the classroom.
Immaturely, she stuck her tongue out at him before she followed after him.
*
Michaelina spent the rest of her day thinking of Jarod. She had asked around about him and heard nothing but nice things. During her study hall time, she left the class and went to talk to Jarod. As he had told her, she found him in room 106 with three other boys.
She leaned against the doorframe and cleared her throat. Instantly, all eyes turned to her. When she met Jarod's eyes, they smiled.
"Hey, Michaelina." He said, "what are you doing here?"
She shrugged. "I was in study hall and was bored so I left."
"And you came and found me just because you were bored."
She chuckled. "That and you're really nice and the fact that you're the only guy that has the guts to even say 'hi' to me."
Jarod laughed. "You don't have to stand in the doorway, y'know."
He moved a computer chair beside him. Smiling, she went to the seat and sat down. Angelo, Broots, and Kyle all stared at the pair.
"Uh, aren't you gonna introduce your friend here?" asked Kyle.
"No!" he laughed, "Yeah. Michaelina Parker, I'd like you to meet Timmy "Angelo" Churill" Jarod pointed at his best friend, "My brother, Kyle." He pointed at his younger brother, "And Jason Broots." Lastly, the teen pointed to his other best friend.
" Hi. You can call me Miss Parker." Said the girl.
"Why does Jarod call you Michaelina and we get to call you Miss Parker?" asked Angelo.
"Because I'm special." Said Jarod.
"Yeah, you're special, alright." Muttered Broots sarcastically.
"Yeah, Special-Ed!" added Kyle.
Jarod rolled his eyes and
"So your last name is Parker?" said Broots, " Is that the same Parker as Principal Parker?"
She nodded, "Yeah, he's my father."
The three boys exchanged looks. Miss Parker felt like she was missing something.
"What am I not in on?" she asked.
"Your father hates Jarod." Kyle told her bluntly.
"It's been this way since freshman year." Added Broots.
"Why?" asked Miss Parker.
All three boys shrugged in unison.
"It's an unsolved mystery." Said Angelo.
A few minutes later, the bell rang and Miss Parker stood. The school day was over. She walked with the boys out of the room. A girl about her height with dark hair approached them. She smiled when she saw Miss Parker.
"Hi!" she said, "I'm Jarod's sister Emily, who are you?"
"I'm Miss Parker."
Emily scrunched her nose. "Miss Parker?"
"Yeah, everyone calls me that---"
"Jarod doesn't." interrupted Kyle.
"But my real name is Michaelina."
The other girl smiled. "Cool name."
"Are you off to cheerleading practice?" asked Angelo.
"Yeah." Answered Emily, "But we're doing try outs for someone new on the squad, y'know since Rachel got pregnant and bitched out the entire squad since we asked her to take a leave." The girl focused on Miss Parker, "Are you going to try out?"
"Yeah. I was wondering if there was any place on the squad."
"You're in luck." Emily smiled, then grabbed her arm and they walked away from the boys.
"Bye, Michaelina." Jarod called after them.
"Bye, Jarod." She called back.
The boys headed towards the school's parking lot. Once inside Jarod's car, loud rock music blasted through the car. The car pulled out of the parking lot and Jarod drove the group to his house. The teens all went into the living room and collapsed in their usual place, Jarod on the entire couch, Broots in one chair, Kyle in the other, and Angelo on the floor. The boys' immediately began to fight over the remote.
Jarod won. He put Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me and tossed the remote onto the coffee table that was in front of the couch. Kyle was the first to say something.
"Sooooo, what's up with you and Miss Parker?"
Jarod kept his face perfectly blank. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Angelo, Kyle, and Broots all looked at each other and laughed. When they all could finally breathe again, Angelo stated the obvious.
"You have a huge crush on her!"
The blank face remained. "Do not."
"Do too!!!!!!!" coursed the other three.
Jarod knew he couldn't fool his friends. "Okay, okay. You win. I like her."
"See, told ya!" said Kyle.
The older brother rolled his eyes. "Shut up, I'm trying to watch the movie."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a flock of pillows flew at him.
*
Meanwhile…
"So, you like my brother." Emily said as she and Parker were leaving the school.
Miss Parker blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"It's obvious." The other girl told her, "Plus, he likes you too."
A smile lit up Parker's face. "How do you know?"
"Because he's never looked at anyone the way I saw him look at you."
"Are you sure?"
Emily laughed. "He's my brother! Of course I'm sure!"
They got into Emily's car. Just like her brother, rock music filled the atmosphere.
"Do you want to come to my house?" asked Emily.
"Sure." She said, "Can you turn down the music so I can call my mom?"
"Yeah." Answered the other girl, immediately turning down the music.
Miss Parker dialed her phone number. Her mother picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Darling. How was your day?" She said before the teen could even say a word.
The girl laughed. "How do you always know it's me? And my day was great. I made the cheerleading squad."
"It's a gift. You made the squad? That's great! Where are you?"
"I'm getting a ride with a friend."
"A friend! How nice."
"Mom, I've had friends before remember?"
"Yes." She laughed, "Let me guess. You want to go over your new friend's house."
"Exactly. Can I?"
"Yes. Be home by ten."
"Thanks, mom. Bye."
"Welcome. Bye, Darling."
They hung up and Miss Parker smiled at Emily.
"She said yes."
"Cool." Emily said with a smile.
*
When they arrived at Emily's and went inside, they found Jarod and his friends in the living room. They were all watching Austin Powers.
"You guys need a hobby." Emily stated.
"Do we?" Kyle said not taking his eyes off the TV, "I don't think we do. Do you think so, Broots?"
"I don't either. How about you, Angelo?"
"Nope. Jarod?"
"Nah." Said the last teen, like the other three, his eyes remaining glued to the TV.
Miss Parker smiled at Emily. "You're right! They do need a hobby!"
At the sound of her voice, Jarod sat up. Miss Parker smiled at him.
"Hi, Michaelina." He said, "How did the try outs go?"
"Hi, Jarod. I made the squad."
"Congratulations." Jarod, Broots, Angelo, and Kyle all said in unison.
With a raised eyebrow, the girl asked: "How long have you guys been friends?"
"Childhood." answered Jarod.
"Too long." Added Angelo with a grin.
Jarod threw a pillow at his friend. "Have a seat." He said to Miss Parker.
The girl went and sat beside him, while Emily went and sat by Angelo. The teens all finished the movie. Emily stretched her arms and yawned.
"Where's mom and dad? I thought they were going to be back today." she asked her brothers.
"Nope. They're taking one extra day while they're in Florida."
"Ah." Emily said.
"Anybody for pizza?" asked Kyle.
They had ordered two large pizzas and ate them in record time. Around nine-thirty, Miss Parker looked at her watch.
"Shit." She said, "I got to get home."
"I'll drive you home." Jarod immediately offered.
She smiled. "Thanks."
As they headed towards the back door Jarod grabbed his leather jacket and glanced at his friends. Angelo winked at him. Jarod returned the favor by flicking him off. Kyle, Broots, and Angelo laughed, while Emily shook her head and rolled her eyes. Once outside, the cool night air touched Miss Parker's skin, goose bumps spread across her exposed flesh.
She wrapped her arms around her waist. Jarod immediately noticed and placed his jacket on her shoulders.
"Thanks." She said.
"No problem." Jarod said, leading her to his car.
They got inside and she gave Jarod directions to her house. On the way there, silence stretched between them. When the car pulled up into her driveway, Jarod put his hand on her arm.
"Michaelina. I want to tell you something." He said.
"What's that, Jarod?"
"I—I—like you. I like you in the I-want-you-to-be-my-girlfriend-way."
Emily was right! She thought happily. "I like you, too, Jarod." She said, "And I'd love to be your girlfriend."
Jarod smiled in relief. Then, he leaned over and kissed her. She kissed him back. They broke apart and smiled.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow." He told her.
"Sounds like a plan." She answered.
She got out of the car and, with a wistful smile on her lips, and walked into her house. Inside his car, Jarod had never felt so happy. He smiled and drove out of her driveway.
*
"Who was that?" Miss Parker's mother asked.
"My boyfriend." Answered her daughter, still smiling wistfully as she walked upstairs to her bedroom.
"What's with her?" Mr. Parker asked as he walked up to his wife.
"It's a girl thing." His wife told him with a smile.