(A/N: Thanks everyone for all of your reviews! I honestly didn't think that anyone would read this. To those of you skeptics out there, give it a chance even if you dislike the pairing. It might surprise you. I have no concrete setting for what's going to happen, so contribute suggestions if you'd like. I plan on writing more Pete stories in the future, so I am, of course, open to any ideas.)
(A/N 2: This chapter doesn't have much action (or much Mike), but it sets up the plot a bit more, and offers more insight to the characters. Some of this may be confusing if you haven't seen the episode "Don't Tread On Pete," as it features a few characters (Magda and Dan) who appeared exclusively in it, which is a shame, because they were both really cool characters who had a lot of potential. Hence them re-appearing in this story. A few other one-timers, including Mike's gang from "Yellow Fever," may show up in future installments.)
(A/N 3: Yeah, I don't know what's up with the choking running gag, either. Bear with me.)
Pinned
by BadMoonlight
Chapter Two
"Are you insane?"
Ellen merely raised an eyebrow as Pete paced back and forth in front of her. Their textbooks lay forgotten and scattered on his bedroom floor. Bits of aluminum foil and baking soda, the remnants of his younger brother's latest project, lay alongside the books, the aluminum shining under his desklamp. He tripped over an empty box of baking soda, stumbled to his feet, and turned to glare at her once more.
"What were you thinking, Ellen?"
She crossed her legs as she sighed and looked up at him. "What's the big deal?"
"What's the big deal? What's the big deal?" This was starting to sound more than a little familiar. "I'll tell you what the big deal is! Endless Mike is the worst, most... most evil..." He was beginning to lose credibility here. He settled for stating the obvious. "He's the biggest bully in town!"
Ellen's eyes flashed as she stared back defiantly at her best friend. "I challenged him to wrestling, Pete, not the proper etiquette of terrorizing Wellsville."
"Oh, that's funny," Pete responded, followed by a nervous laugh that indicated he didn't find it funny at all. "I hope you still have that sense of humor when he starts stalking you."
"Stalking?"
"Well, if he leaves me alone, who do you think he's going to start bothering next? That's the next logical step, you know." He stopped pacing to stare directly at her with a frenzied gleam. "Only you obviously weren't using any logic, were you?"
"Relax!" Ellen exclaimed. "You're acting more tense than my dad."
"Does your dad know?" Pete demanded. "Does your dad know that you just sacrificed yourself to a potential homicidal maniac?"
"Give it a rest, Pete." Sighing, Ellen picked up her bag and started shuffling her schoolbooks into it. "I think we've studied enough molecular biology for tonight."
It had been a mistake telling Pete, she knew. They had been preparing for Mrs. Sanborn's weekly quiz when she casually mentioned that there was a new episode of Fast Track on tonight, and, oh, by the way, I decided to wrestle your arch-nemesis in a match to the death, what's the answer to number thirteen?
It had seemed like a good idea at the time.
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Ellen and Magda Miller were unpacking their bagged lunches as they waited for their less health-conscious friends to arrive at their usual table. Ellen had explained her "bargain" with Endless Mike to the other girl on their way to the cafeteria. Her friend had listened patiently as well as amusedly, the hilarity of the situation heightened by the way that Pete reacted.
"He's jealous."
Ellen started choking on the spoonful of raspberry yogurt she had just started to swallow. It took a few good poundings on her back before she could finish swallowing the yogurt as well as breathe properly again. "Who? Mike?"
Magda rolled her eyes as she reached up to tie her hair into a short ponytail. "Pete."
"Oh." Ellen scrunched up her nose. "Why?"
"Because he's a guy, and if he doesn't have all of your attention focused on him it ruins his entire mood. Something about males wanting to be the dominant gender. Anyway, they have this constant, obsessive need to be in the spotlight. It drives them nuts if they're not."
Ellen smiled weakly. "Magda, I don't really think--"
"Hey, Magda!" The girls turned their attention to Bill Korn as he dramatically tilted a tray loaded with green Jell-O and prepared to fire at the next unsuspecting passerby. "Watch this!"
Magda focused her gaze back on Ellen. "You were saying?"
Ellen bit her lip. "That's different. You and Bill are--"
"Not at all different from you and Pete," Magda interrupted. She paused thoughtfully as she started to raise her crust-less sandwich to her mouth. "Actually, maybe a little different. You two are so perfect together that it's kind of sickening."
"We're not like that," Ellen protested. At Magda's disbelieving look, she pressed on. "Look, I know that we're always hanging around and doing things together, but that's because we're best friends. We tried the whole... relationship thing before, it didn't pan out. Besides, I have a little more important things to worry about than Pete right now."
"Wasn't the whole point of wrestling this kid so he would leave Pete alone?"
"Well... yeah. But now it's personal."
Magda was the champion of cynical raised eyebrows. "Personal, how?"
"I found these in my locker this morning." Ellen reached into her bag and produced two burgundy and white cheerleader pom-poms.
"Pom-poms?" Magda frowned. "I'm failing to see the significance of those."
"RememberLast year, when I joined the cheerleading squad in order to show up Gladner?"
"Oh, right." Magda started snickering. "Didn't you burn all of your equipment?"
"Yeah, I did."
"And wasn't there some sort of ritualistic chant involved?"
"Sort of. Anyway, the point is that Mike put them in my locker to mock me!"
Magda set down her sandwich and opened a zip-lock bag of dried fruit. "I think you're giving him way too much credit, El."
"Not really. Mike really is a pretty bright guy. He just doesn't apply himself to his classes."
"Is there some sort of guidance counselor gene running in your family?"
"I'm serious," Ellen insisted. "He works on a mostly psychological level. While that is difficult to beat, it's easier than if he used force and attempted to pound me into the ground. I'm in AP Psychology; I may have a chance."
"Ellen, I know you never thought you'd hear me say this - but there is more to life than grades, classes, and schoolwork!"
"I just hope that he doesn't try to start bothering me in class," she sighed, twisting open a bottle of grape juice.
"I didn't know that he was in any of your classes. Aren't they mostly AP?"
"No, I meant next semester," Ellen clarified. "He'll be in my shop class... Advanced Metalwork, 102."
Magda reacted with a wince that displayed both admiration and worry. "You haven't taken shop since it was required sophomore year. Isn't that class for those guys who are really--" she paused, searching for an inoffensive word to use-- "you know..."
Ellen shrugged. "Yeah, a lot of them will be in my class. But I had an extra elective, and I really enjoy shop. So I just talked to Mr. Slurm, and he got me in."
Teddy Foresman let out a low whistle as he appeared, placed his tray down and sat next to Ellen. "Shop class? Are you sure Mike isn't going to give you a hard time?"
"Contrary to what most people think, I can handle things myself!" Ellen cried in exasperation. "I'm not exactly a delicate little snowflake." Her pouty glare made her look more like a young child sent to time-out, however, than a determined fighter.
"What's going on?" Bill asked, setting down his tray next to Magda's and pulling out a chair. An irritated freshman covered in green Jell-O stalked past him and out into the hallway.
"Ellen's going to wrestle Endless Mike," Teddy answered for the others, shining an apple on the leg of his jeans. He had heard the whole story last night. Pete had called him up to vent, Ellen had called immediately after to tell him to disregard anything Pete said, and Pete had called up again to find out if Ellen had called about him.
"Whoa, Ellen's going to wrestle? That's hot," said Bill.
Magda smacked him hard on the arm.
"I mean, that's very, very... wrong. Girls shouldn't wrestle. Women? Playing sports? That's just crazy!"
Magda smacked him again.
"For God's sake, Magda, what do you want me to say!" Bill exclaimed in annoyance, rubbing his arm. His girlfriend gave him a scathing look in response.
"The cafeteria gods were on the right track the day that they invented hot pockets!" Dan Pinciotti declared, letting his tray filled with at least seven or eight hot pockets fall to the table with a clunk. Appearing behind Dan and clutching his own tray, Pete pointedly sat down next to Bill instead of Ellen.
Lunch went by pretty much the same as usual: Teddy studiously applied his nose clip as well as a pair of ear plugs (prompting one to speak a little louder than normal if they wanted him to hear them), Dan acquired at least one item of food from each person's tray, Bill made constant obnoxious comments, and Magda reprimanded him for each one. Pete and Ellen remained silent, however, only speaking whenever spoken to and responding with grunts and nods respectively.
"What's the matter with you guys?" Dan finally asked.
"Lovers' spat," Bill said in a loud stage whisper.
"Shut up," Pete and Ellen told him simultaneously, then looked at each other, glared, and looked away.
Two tables over, a pair of green eyes watched them with a dark laugh, before abruptly choking ona balogna sandwich that was in the process of being swallowed. He had to be thumped on the back a few times before he swallowed, gathered his composure, and immediately continued laughing again.