13 Days til Homecoming…
Bee closed the door of her locker and found Kitten behind it with an evil smirk on her face. She rested the urge to roll her eyes and slap that smirk off her caked-up face. Though it would only cause more controversy than she needed in her life and not to mention, Brooke would get wind of it. It'd be goodbye duchess crowning, goodbye reputation, and guaranteed captain spot for next year. "What do you want, Kitten?" She began to text on her phone "So, have you resigned from the race for Hoco Duchess yet? I'd hate for Vic to see these scrumptious photos of you and Herald on the Hive's website,``''For your information Kitten, I told Vic everything this weekend," That statement took Kitten aback.
"Y-you did" there was a small pang of guilt in her stomach. Not everything, exactly. However, she'd never let Kitten know what was going on in her social life. "Yep." "You're so lying—" "It's before the first period, Vic usually comes here so he could walk me to class. Do you see him anywhere around?" Kitten glanced around and Bee was correct. Vic was nowhere to be found. She looked as if she was about to cry or scream or both. Kitten shook her head and went back to smirking, "So that means that Vic is up for grabs?" Bee growled, Kitten was doing that to get under her skin and it was working. "If you think for one second that I'd ever let your ugly, badly polished claws close to my man. You've got another thing coming—"
"—I go to the manicurist every 2 weeks—" "—Mm, seems like you'd need to go every three days. I know a girl, need her number?" Kitten stomped her foot. "Also, look what I came across on my phone," Bee grabbed her phone out of her pocket and opened it. On display were text exchanges between Kitten and Mr. Mod. Kitten tried to grab the phone but Bee moved her hand away. "How dare you—" "—Same question I had when you stole my phone and took my photos off of it," Kitten folded her arms, "Is this how you wanna play Bee?" Bee pushed her phone back into her pants pocket.
"Not at all. I just thought you should know that if you try to take me down, someone's going down with me," Bee shuffled a couple of steps to where she was close enough to see the pink lipstick begin to chip off of Kitten's lips. She heard Kitten gulp, though she didn't step down. "This so isn't over, Bee. I will win Homecoming Duchess, even with you in the running. Mark my words," She sashayed away in one direction as Bee watched. "That's what you think," They needed to grab Kitten's phone and fast, her reputation depended on it. Vic didn't need to know anything else if he found out the whole truth. She could kiss her high school career goodbye, and she wasn't ready for that. Bee exhaled a breath and hobbled in the opposite direction.
Kory couldn't focus for the rest of the weekend. She barely touched her homework, missed her call sessions with Donna, and Uncle Galfore was out with catering gigs. However, it felt as though too many weeks had gone by where she was so anxious that she lost track of sleep over it. She could only imagine what the others were going through. Bee and Vic weren't on speaking terms since she came back from the hospital. At least that's what Bee told her when she texted her after Dick dropped her off. Neither were she and Dick. She'd ignore the text messages he'd sent her throughout the day and occupy her brain with something else. It got under her skin when he interrogated her like that, she hated how he made her feel.
Almost as if she was the child and he was the parent, like she had just done something bad and got caught. Jinx would text her as well, asking what drugs was everyone on due to no one exchanging words with one another. "Seriously, did you guys snort cocaine over the weekend and not tell me? Was it a bad trip?" Kory didn't answer her questions, all she'd say back was "It's not my place to say," in which Jinx would throw her hands up and call them "whack jobs". Wally wasn't helping with the situation either, Kory could see him glance Vic's way, then turn to Dick and ask him something. Dick would shrug his shoulders in answer.
Kory took her place at the lunch table with Gar, Rachel, Rosabelle, Twins, and Kole. She opened her utensils pack and pulled out a spork, then stabbed the sad bowl of salad in front of her. "Everything okay, Kor?" Gar asked her as he bit into his Hummus Veggie sandwich. "Fine. Why do you ask?" "For one, you aren't sitting with the 'cool kids' today," Rachel stated. "And you seem gloomy," He added. "I'm fine. I wanted to sit you all today," They seemed to buy that and continued to eat their lunch.
Kory heard someone hobbling towards their table, she glanced up and saw Bee on her bedazzled crutches coming her way. Great. "Kory!" Bee exclaimed, the others popped their heads up and mouths dropped, except Rachel's. They were in the presence of royalty. "Yes, Bee?" Kory sighed. Bee pushed herself in between the twins and glanced toward Gar. "Did you ask him yet?" "Hi to you Bee," Gar rolled his eyes. She gave him a small wave, then turned back to Kory. "I didn't have the chance to, it's been—" "—we have to get—" Bee stopped herself, the whole table had their eyes and ears on what she was about to say next.
"Can I see you two in the courtyard?" "Bee—" "It'll only be a couple of minutes," Kory glanced towards Gar. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Sure. I hope you don't mind me taking my lunch with me though," Bee grimaced at the dripping Hummus sandwich. "Ugh, fine. Stand about five feet away from me though," Gar stuffed his sandwich into his lunch bag, then followed Kory and Bee out to the courtyard.
This was it. A secret. The secret that he needed to get one step closer to Terra and find her. This may be easier than he thought. Then again, he had to be very careful about this. He didn't want to lose his friendship with Kory and cost him a reputation with Bee. Was Terra worth losing someone he thought of as a friend? Bee closed the door to the Cafeteria and searched the courtyard. There was no one else around. Bee took a seat on a bench and exhaled a breath. "Okay. Gar, we need you to serve as a distraction during practice while Kory searches the locker room for Kitten's phone, "Why?" They shared a glance. Bingo.
"We just need her phone," Bee stated. "Aren't we prepping for competition season? Distraction and Brooke equal death," Bee rolled her eyes, though Kory remained quiet. Interesting. "Make it seem like you hurt something. It has to look realistic. Kory could sneak in past the coaches' area while the cheerleaders are focused on you. I'll be there to watch and help with the practice. I can have my phone on me since I'm injured. Kory will text me once she's got it," "Is Kory okay with this?" She's been quiet this whole time. Kory shouldn't have to fight Bee's battles for her. Whatever Bee has as a secret, that's her fault. Not Kory's. "Gar…there's stuff about both of us on there" Kory whispered. It was starting to make sense, the looks the two shared and the silence. Two secrets, two more steps to Terra. He had to be very careful with this unless he wanted to lose Kory as a friend. He already lost Bee and the others. "Can you help us?" He glanced between the two girls, then took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm in,"
Vic grumbled to himself as Wally went on about some girl he managed to get to 2nd base with. Dick actively tried not to listen to him, but Wally was so loud. He had no choice but to listen to him brag. "Her boobs were huge, I swear it felt like I was touching—" "—Oh my god. Could you stop talking? Like for the rest of the day perhaps?" "Jealous Jinxie?" Wally made kissy faces towards her. "Oh my god, how did you know that I had a humongous crush on you since the third grade—not!" She threw a French Fry at his face. "You do want all of this—" "—How about you both shut the hell up," Vic bit. Jinx and Wally were taken aback by his sudden outburst. "Geez, what crawled up your ass?" Vic lunged up from his seat and towards Wally. Dick blocked his pathway "Woah, Vic. Take it easy, he was just joking," Dick stated. Vic turned his angry face towards Dick "How about for once Dick, you stay out of it," Dick scoffed.
"Okay, whatever problem you're having with any of us. Tell us now—" He noticed that Vic averted his gaze from him to someone behind him. Dick turned around to follow his gaze, and it landed on Herald. Vic got up from his seat, "Hey!" He yelled. Everyone in the cafeteria started to quiet down as they turned their heads to the scene at hand. Herald turned his head towards Vic, his eyebrow raised. Vic walked away from the table and headed towards him. Something was wrong, something was very very wrong. Dick and Wally followed after him. Vic stood face to face with Herald. His body towered over his, and a shadow was cast over Herald's face. "Yeah?" Herald asked. Vic didn't say anything, his fist clenched, and his mouth twisted. What happened next was in slow motion. No one saw it coming.
Not Dick. Not Wally. And certainly not Herald. Vic wound up his arm and punched Herald straight in the face. He fell to the ground with a loud "oomph", Vic got on the ground and delivered one blow after the other on Herald's face. "Vic! Vic get off him" Dick tried to grab a hold of Vic's arm, but Vic was too fast and strong. "She's my girlfriend, if I ever see you touch her again I will kill you," Herald tried to fight back, but failed. He managed to get a couple of small punches into Vic's head, he didn't flinch. Students crowded around them., some watched with horror others with shock. "Wally, help me!" Wally nodded as they reached down to grab Vic off Herald. There was blood on the floor spattered on the floor. "Teacher!" Someone yelled. They managed to get Vic off of Herald, but he was still fuming and tired to lunge again. "Woah, Vic chill," Madame Rogue walked towards the group and folded her arms.
"Someone get me the nurse," She yelled. A student dispersed from the crowd, she glanced over at the three boys. "You three, office now!" Wally and Dick cursed to themselves as they escorted Vic away. Vic's eyes never tore away from Herald's bleeding face. The only thing running through his veins from the pain and hurt that he was feeling, and no one could understand it.
The Hive: Spotted. Knight and Shining Armor, Vic Stone, was just seen beating the crap out of Bugle Boy. Everyone wants to know why and how, I've got one answer that covers all of that. That answer is Karen Beecher.
Rachel sat in her favorite corner of the library. Perfect amount of noise, the perfect amount of comfort, and the perfect amount of privacy. Her sanctuary. She continued to flip through the pages of another work of fiction. That's another thing she enjoyed. Fiction and the endless possibilities of it. She could escape into a different world; with little to no distraction from the outside. "Miss Roth?" She heard someone ask. Rachel popped her head up to see Mr. Malchoir smiling down at her, his gray eyes gleaming under the fluorescent lighting. Her stomach did a backflip. "Hi, Mr. Malchoir. Here to check out some books?" He chuckled.
Another backflip. "Why yes, I'm checking out a Tale Between Two Cities. I thought it was in this section," She shook her head and pointed behind him. "It's a couple of bookcases down. I'd know, I read that book dozens of times," another chuckle. "So, then I hope you don't mind that I assign it as a class reading. You'll be ahead of the game, like always," Was he flirting with her? She wanted him to be, but chances are with a girl like her. It was considered friendly banter, that was it. Nothing more, no matter how much she wanted it to be. "What are you reading?" "It's this book about a girl with cancer," "Pretty dark," "I think it's sweet. She falls for this guy, whose cancer ends up coming back and they end up having this torrid love affair,"
"Darker," They shared a laugh. He was the only person that managed to make her laugh. It was so infectious, rugged, and beautiful like him. "Sorry to bother you, I'll leave you to your reading then" "You weren't bothering me…you never could," Rachel covered her mouth. Did she say that out loud, oh my god. She was a freak show. He bit back a smile and glanced down at her again. Their eyes met, her violet with his gray.
Is it bad that she wanted this to be the part where he kissed her passionately, threw her against the bookcase, and shoved his tongue down her throat? He stepped closer to her and leaned down to where they were almost kissing distance. "Oh my god, is he going to kiss me?" She thought to herself. "I feel the same way," He winked, then turned around and left. Rachel sucked in a breath as she watched his cute figure retreat away until he turned the corner. "Oh my god," she muttered to herself as her head fell back against the chair. Almost.
"Five, Six, Seven, Eight," Brooke yelled out as the cheerleaders got into formation. Gar stood off to the side going through the motions while Bee watched with a crestfallen look. The cheerleaders moved with Brooke's snaps and calls, they were sharp. Though it seemed as if they were thrown off due to a missing key member. Jinx strutted onto the gym floor, dropping her backpack on the way.
"Stop. Stop," Brooke barked. The cheerleaders dropped from their pyramid formation. "Why are you late to practice?" Jinx blinked. "I'm sorry, I had to finish up this chemistry test," Brooke pursed her lips. "Hmm, fine. Don't let it happen again, I need three laps around the gym. Followed by ten wind sprints," Brooke turned around to Bee. "Make sure you count," Bee nodded. Jinx began to run around the gym as Brooke swiveled back toward the cheerleaders. "Let's try this again," She snapped her fingers as the squad got back into formation. Bee's phone buzzed next to her, as well as Brooke's. They both picked theirs up at the same time, Bee's heart dropped at the notification.
The Hive: Cafeteria Brawl
Well, well, well. Looks like the one and only, Knight and Shining Armor Victor Stone has started a fight. With who you may ask? Why with Bugle Boy Herald. Teens heard that the fight started because of Queen Bee. Have something to confess Bee? All your subjects are dying to know.
That's all I have…for now.
The Hive
Bee glanced over at Brooke's face, she didn't look pleased with what she was reading. "Stop!" Brooke yelled at the cheerleaders. They immediately stopped in place. Bee gulped as she waited with anticipation for what Brooke was about to do. Brooke took a deep breath, then held a finger up in the air and motioned for Bee to come over. Bee sighed and grabbed a hold of her crutches, then made her way over. "Bee, meet me in the office," Bee managed to muster a nod as tears pricked her eyes.
Gar stood close by as she headed towards the door. "Should I check on her and make sure that she's okay? Gar thought to himself. "I'd doubt she'd do the same for me," still he wanted to make sure that she was okay. The Hive did need him to get into good graces with his old friends and Bee did have everyone's ear. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I went and checked on her" "For Terra," He whispered, then walked over to Brooke.
"What do you want, Garrett?" He's been on the team for a while and she still didn't know his name. Sometimes the popular crowd irked him. "Um, it's Garfield. People usually call me Gar, I don't really go by Garfield—" "—Does this conversation have a purpose?" He blushed. "Sorry. Could I use the restroom?" She scoffed "Fine. Five minutes," He nodded and headed off behind Bee.
Meanwhile, Kory waited outside of the gym her phone glued to her hand. She finished reading the blast about Vic and she knew that he reacted that way because Bee told him everything. Kory heard footsteps coming towards the door and she took a seat on the nearest bench, pretending to look busy. Bee pushed the doors open, her face was red and wet. Kory stood up, then ran towards Bee, a look of concern crossed her face. "What happened?" Bee sniffled. "What happened? What happened is that my boyfriend decided to pick a fight with Herald and got us both in trouble. That's what happened?" "Did you get kicked off the squad?" "Not yet. I just hope that Brooke doesn't choose that option. I can't lose that captain spot," Bee started to cry, and Kory grimaced. She wanted to hug Bee and tell her that it was all going to be okay. Although in her heart she knew that it wasn't going to be. It felt as though both of their reputations were on the line.
The guilt and horror rode away at her as she thought about the whole school getting a deeper dive into her troubled past. She glanced over at Bee, who was wiping away the tears and blubbering away. This was partially Bee's fault even if she never would admit it. Bee was the one that decided to risk her relationship with Vic to have an affair with Herald. She's the one who had the photos and text messages between them on her phone. "I think she knows deep down that it is her fault," Kory thought. Gar opened the gym doors, Bee glanced up at him. "Gar? You followed me?" He nodded.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay, seemed like the conversation with Brooke was intense," That comment shocked Bee, Kory noticed her eyebrows knit together and eyes widened. "Even after they stopped talking for a couple of years, Gar still cares about them," Kory thought. Bee sniffled then continued, "Well, I think we have a change in plans. Brooke and I will be meeting in the office to discuss The Hive Blast. The office is close to the locker room. When Brooke calls me in, that gives you the perfect time to go in and grab Kitten's phone," "How do I know which locker is Kittens?" "It's the one that's pink, has glitter all over it, and a picture of a cat. Pretty obvious," Bee explains.
"What about her locker combination and Gar?" Bee tapped her chin as she contemplated the plan. "I know after I get chewed out by Brooke that I'm probably never going to be able to leave practice and meet Gizmo. You two will have to meet him. Gar figured out the perfect distraction to throw off the team, I'll help out and text Kory the signal so she could leave the locker room and wait for you here. I'll then text you where he wants to meet. As for the locker combination, it's her birthday. Six, One, Fifteen," "How do you know that?" "She made it very well known when her birthday was coming up in practice one time," "So the plan is foolproof?" Gar asked. "It has to be, we have no choice otherwise," Kory nodded in agreement. Gar ran his hand over his face, what the hell did he get himself into?
Dick and Wally waited outside as they heard Principal Wilson on the other side reprimand Vic. They could hear some of the words he'd yell "Embarrassment" "Father" and "Game". From what Dick could gather, Principal Wilson is going to kick Vic out of the game. Coach would kick his ass and possibly his and Wally's as well. Vic was one of the star players, even though he was a sophomore. He still could outrun and tackle most of the senior players.
Wally moved a bit closer to where Dick was sitting, he whispered "What do you think is up with Vic lately?" Dick shrugged "I have no idea, but I'm gonna find out," "He's been ditching lunch too. You think something's going on?" He shrugged again. Vic could tell him anything, he was the last person to judge him. Ever since the incident in the summer of eighth grade, the two have grown closer to where Dick considered Vic one of his closest and best friends. It wasn't like him to keep secrets from Dick or vice versa. Vic opened the door, but his expression still remained the same: angry.
Wally got up from his seat "H-Hey Vic, what happened?" Vic didn't answer. Instead, he shrugged his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the hallway. Both Wally and Dick were hot on his heels "Vic!" Dick yelled after him. He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "What?" He grunted. "We're trying to help you," "Yeah, why did you beat the crap out of Herald dude?" Vic swirled around and took a couple of steps toward Wally. Wally cowered back against the wall. "Because he deserved it," Dick stood in between the two of them. "Woah, back up Vic. He's just trying to help—"
" —I don't need anyone's help. Not yours, not his, not Bee's—" "—So this is about her isn't it?" That struck a nerve. Vic didn't answer as he turned back around and stomped away. Dick went after him "What happened at the hospital?" "Leave me alone, Dick" Dick began to jog as he tried to catch up. He forgot how fast Vic was. "Did she do something with Herald? Is that why she and Kory were acting like that—" Before Dick could continue, Vic turned around and shoved him to the ground. He fell with a loud grunt "Stay out of my business Dick, I mean it," Vic didn't bother to help him up.
He walked away as Wally held out a hand to him. Dick grabbed it, then dusted himself off. "I guess we know a bit as to why Vic and Bee aren't acting like their usual selves," Wally nodded "Only thing is…what can we do to help?" Dick ran his fingers through his hair, he knew that before they could help Vic, he had to get the whole story. He needed someone's help and there were only two people that knew as much as Bee and Vic did: Herald and Kory. However, he knew Kory wouldn't blab to him. She wasn't acting much like herself either, which wasn't new to him. That girl always seemed to have some sort of edge to her. He'd have to worry about Kory later, so it was time for him to visit Herald. Whether Vic liked it or not, Dick wanted to help, before things got messier and The Hive got wind of it.
"Stupid Dick and his stupid questions, Bee with her cheating," Vic paced back and forth as he wandered aimlessly around the locker room. The meeting with Principal Wilson was as anticipated. He yelled at him and told him that he wasn't allowed to participate in four of the games, including the Homecoming game. Also, Vic had Saturday detention for the remainder of the year, had to write a letter of apology to Herald, and was not allowed to participate in any of the homecoming activities. Vic was withdrawn from the race, effective immediately. "This was going to devastate Bee," He thought.
"Why do I care? She kissed another guy…but she said it meant nothing," "Grrah!" Vic let out a loud grunt and punched the nearest wall, his fist made a small dent. "Fuck," he hissed as he shook his hand. Vic peered over his knuckles, they were starting to bruise. He zipped open his backpack and took out his pills, then shook some out. Vic was about to shove some in his mouth when he heard the locker room door open. He quickly popped the pills, then shoved the bottle back into his backpack.
"Is anyone in here?" He heard someone say. The voice sounded familiar, Vic peeked his head around the corner and spotted Jinx with her cheer uniform on. She turned around and spotted him, "Vic?" "Hey," She walked over to him, but stopped once she noticed the small dent in the wall. "That was you making all that noise?" He nodded. Jinx glanced at his knuckles "Are you okay?" "I'm fine," She touched the wall with her hands. "I know from films and therapy sessions that 'I'm fine' doesn't mean that you are fine, do you wanna talk about it?" "Not really," She nodded. Vic watched as she traced over the dent "How did you know that there was someone in here?" Jinx giggled. "Well, the boys' locker room happens to be next to the girls' bathroom. So while I was in there peeing, I heard some yelling and then a thump. Thought I should check it out," Vic chuckled. "So when you guys are in there—" "We could hear you guys talking about who you slept with, what date to take someone on, who farted. Yep. It makes great entertainment when you're trying to change a tampon," He chuckled again.
Vic forgot how funny Jinx could be sometimes. She was the opposite of Bee, yet they were the best of friends. Bee was more uptight, and calculated, always worried about what people thought of her if she did a certain thing. That's when her dark side would come out, he hated it sometimes. She'd get mean and ruthless to the point where he never knew what she would do next or who she'd hurt. Of course, he'd end up getting the short of the stick. "Just know that I'm here for you. You don't have to talk about what happened today," "Thanks Jinx," she smiled at him. "Always here," They locked eyes and didn't look away, it felt like an eternity. Someone wanted to say something, but the other didn't know what.
Jinx cleared her throat "Well, I'm gonna go before Brooke kills me," She made her way toward the door. Vic thought back to the previous events that happened in the day, he was so angry at everything, everyone. Bee for kissing Herald, Herald for kissing Bee, Kory for keeping the secret, Dick for trying to meddle in his business, and Wally being Wally. He's just about had it, the only person that didn't piss him off so much was Jinx. "Jinx," he sighed, she turned around. "Bee and Herald kissed, that's why I did it," She held a hand up to her mouth in shock. Vic's eyes widened as he realized what Jinx told him moments ago. "Was there anyone in the restroom with you?" "No, Brooke has a strict rule on one cheerleader going to the bathroom. So I think we're good," He nodded, then took a seat on the nearest bench.
Jinx sat beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Vic, I'm sorry—" "—It happened a couple of weeks ago," He began to laugh, it sounded like he was okay, but she knew he was hurting on the inside. Vic loved Bee so much, he'd do anything for her if she asked. Bee didn't know how lucky she had it sometimes. There'd be times when Bee would complain about their lacking passion in the relationship, but she'd never tell anyone that, Bee made her swear. "I couldn't believe that she kept this from me, what's even worse is that Kory knew too," "That's why she's been acting weird, well weirder than usual," Vic nodded and continued.
"I don't know what I did wrong. I thought I was doing everything right—" "—Did it mean anything?" Vic shook his head "She claims that it didn't. I knew something was up when he showed up at the hospital though. The tulips, the looks, it all connects," Jinx contemplated. She did remember how Kory's mood shifted when Herald walked into the room and the secret conversation Dick walked in. Bee didn't act over the moon when Vic and Herald were in the room together. She saw what Vic was referring to, something was up. "Bee loves you, Vic. You're all she ever talks about if she said it didn't mean anything.
It didn't," Right? Right. "Then why didn't she tell me?" "Cause she probably knew you were gonna act like this," "Yeah, and look what happened. Now, I'm out of the race, Bee's gonna be devastated," Angry was more like it. She'd probably kick his ass for ruining their chances of being the cutest couple for homecoming, the 2nd year in a row. "Not gonna lie, she'll be mad at first. I think she'll get over it though. It's just a stupid sash with a Party City-bought crown," Vic let out a hearty laugh. "No kidding, I remember the crown from last year. I accidentally sat on it and it broke instantly," "You two are each other's soulmates. It'll be okay," "It doesn't mean that much to me, but I know it means something to her," Jinx glanced up at the clock on the wall, then got up from her seat on the bench.
"Are you heading back?" "My five minutes is cutting close, I should go before Brooke makes me run wind sprints." Vic blinked a couple of times "Uh yeah, I'm sorry for keeping you—" "—Vic don't worry about it. You needed a friend and here I am," She gave him a pat on the back, and he glanced down at her and smiled. "Yeah, there you are," She met his gaze again, and her heart fluttered. Uh-oh, what was this feeling? It wasn't the same feeling she got before and it made her stomach do somersaults. Jinx wanted to throw up, yet at the same time, she wanted to smile.
"Shake it off Jinx, it's just the air conditioning," Jinx thought. The air conditioning was making her feel this way and she despised it. She broke the gaze, then opened the door. "Vic, I'm glad you were open with me. If some girl kissed my guy, I probably would have done the same thing," He laughed. Her heart doubled in beats again, damn that a/c. It felt as though she was about to have a stroke. "Nah, I'm pretty sure you would have sent that girl to the hospital," "You're right," They shared a laugh., Jinx bit her lip. "Thanks for listening," "And thanks for letting me," Jinx gave him a two finger salute and left out the door. Vic exhaled a breath as he ran his hand over his face, "What the hell am I going to tell Bee?" Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Jinx held a hand to her fast-beating heart, then glanced down at it and whispered "Can you shut up for a sec?".
The Hive: Did we just see a spark ignite? Between a best friend and her best friends' boyfriend? Not if Queen Bee has anything to say about it.
Rachel sat at her desk with her hand over her head and a book in front of her face. She drowned out the teacher's voice as he continued with the lecture. She tapped her desk with her fingers, trying to keep her hands steady from shaking. "Rachel, while I approve of students wanting to improve their reading levels. This is biology class and we'll be having a test over this material," Dr. Light quipped.
Rachel closed the book, then sighed "I believe that learning about the animal kingdom would be very fundamental for my future career," Sarcasm oozed through her voice as she spoke. He turned back to the board as Rachel listened. She longed to be in a class where her voice and opinion mattered. People understood her for her, like Mr. Malchoir. He always listened to her discussions, sometimes she'd catch him smiling while she explained a critical analysis of the book they were assigned to read.
Almost as if he was admiring her work, her voice. Knock. Knock. The students turned their attention from the board to the door, Dr. Light walked over to it and opened it. A student was on the other side, he had a slip in his hand. Dr. Light grasped it, he read it "Rachel, you're needed in the office," Her eyebrows knitted together.
—
Her heart sank, there he stood outside of the office, a phone glued to his ear and a vein sticking out his neck. Anger. Her heart sank lower as if it could get any lower than her stomach. He didn't turn his back around at all, it was toward the parking lot. Shoulders were tensed up, neck a bit red, hand in pocket. "Am I going home?" She thought. Rachel heard footsteps approach her as she hid behind the corner so her father couldn't see her.
"Miss Roth?" She turned her head to meet Principal Wilson's concerned gaze. "Principal Wilson, I—" "—are not in trouble. I called your father because we need to discuss something," "Oh, right. Glad that cleared things up," she faked a laugh. He clears his throat and then follows her gaze. "We could wait in my office until he gets off the phone," "No need, I'm here," Her father opened the door and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Everything alright?" Principal Wilson asked. "Oh yeah, just some business matter I had to tend to," He chuckled darkly. Rachel knew he was lying, when he laughed like that, someone made him angry and there would be hell to pay for it. Most likely it would be her at the end that he'd take his anger out on. She pulled at her cardigan out of instinct, hopefully, Principal Wilson didn't notice. "I understand that, I had to yell at a couple of kids today myself," They shared a laugh. Principal Wilson motioned for them to follow and walked towards his office. Rachel's heart was beating in her ears every step of the way.
"Please take a seat," They both took seats in front of Principal Wilson's desk as he made his way toward his chair. "Is Rachel in trouble?" Her father asked, she tugged at her cardigan again. "On the contrary, I wanted to talk to you about something that one of the teachers informed me about. He should be here momentarily," He checked his watch. Her heart fluttered, "Could it be?" Rachel thought. "Well, that's a relief. Right Rachel?" Now he wanted to play the great father figure.
"In the meantime, Miss Roth. How has school been?" She bit back the urge to roll her eyes and answer back with something sarcastic. "Fine, I've been working a lot," "I always see your head in a book. If only students were as dedicated as you about improving their scores," "If only," She plastered on a fake smile. "Get me out of this hell hole," she thought. "That's my Rachel, always working hard. I remember one time when she begged me to buy her Harry Potter book," Lie. "Ah, you're interested in fantasy books?" "To escape this hell sure," she thought. "Yeah, dragons and wands," Rachel glanced over at her father to see if his shoulders would tense. Nothing. He was cool as a cucumber. Although she knew that he'd never want to tarnish his perfect reputation as a good businessman and a great father.
"I apologize for being late," Her face began to warm up. Him. Mr. Malchoir made his way over by Principal Wilson and spotted Rachel. Their eyes met, steel grey eyes against her violet, her heart was ready to burst. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rachel's teacher. Mr. Malchoir," He held out his hand to Trigon. Trigon observed his daughter's face, then turned around and shook his hand. "Can he sense something?" She thought. "It's nice to meet you too. She's told me a lot about you," Another lie. "Oh wow—" "—All good things, right Rachel?" He was testing her, she knew that much. If there were three things to describe what her father was like, it would be Conniving, Evil, and Observant.
If something was going on behind his back, he'd know about it in a heartbeat. "Yeah," she couldn't let him figure out that she had a small crush on him. He'd ruin everything and it'd break her heart if something happened to Mr. Malchoir. "Sorry about pulling you from work Mr. Roth. I wanted to discuss with you the possibility of Rachel joining me and a couple of other students for a poetry slam that's being held on the Upper West Side. It's after hours and a three-day competition. I'd love for her to join us," He'd love for her to join? Three days of poetry, reading, quiet, peace, Mr. Malchoir? His father would never let her join, it allowed her happiness and he didn't want her to have any of that. She might as well kiss this trip goodbye, "Sure. Is this trip supervised by other parents?"
"Indeed. We have a couple of parents signed up to join," Rachel wanted to jump out of her chair and dance for joy. She was getting to go on a trip, away from her father and closer to Mr. Malchoir. "Are you excited, Rachel?" Mr. Malchoir had a playful glint in his eye, she bit back from smiling. "Yeah, thanks for the opportunity," No matter how excited she was, there was this aching feeling that remained in her stomach where she knew that her father's wrath was coming.
"Bee, what did I say about The Hive blasts?" Brooke clasped her hands together and waited. "I know Brooke. I didn't know he was going to do that. In my defense, the Hive thinks it's about me—" "—Did that fight start because of you?" She didn't want Brooke to know her business, nor did she want her to possibly broadcast the gossip to the squad. However, if she chose to lie to Brooke, it may bite her in the ass for that captain's spot. "I don't know, I was going to call Vic about it after practice," She technically wasn't lying. Brooke glared through her long lashes and sighed "Fine, keep your boyfriend on a leash Bee. I'm not considering this your 3rd strike, it's cutting close though," She nodded furiously.
"It won't happen again," Brooke rolled her eyes "That's what you said last time," Brooke was pretty smart, contrary to popular belief. She often got associated with dumb because she was the captain of the cheer squad and had blonde roots. However, Bee knew better than to underestimate her when she tried out for the team last year. Brooke had this aura around her like she wanted you to be scared of her, and you damn well should have been. Despite her scary aura, she was inspiring to many, including Bee. Bee peeked her head out of the office window and spotted Kory walking over to Kitten's locker. Brooke was heading towards the door, Bee put a handout and Brooke raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, I was wondering if we could discuss a routine?" Bee tried to sneak a glance at the window and watch as Kory searched, but Brooke was watching. "Excuse me? Sophomores don't get to decide routines," Sweat startled to trickle down her forehead. "Come on, Kory," Bee thought. "I know, what I meant to say was that I saw this routine that some cheerleaders did a while ago and how maybe we could tweak it. It was atrocious the way they did it, imagine what we could do" She felt as though she was digging herself a hole. Brooke squinted her perfect, blue eyes again. "Why the sudden proposal?" "No reason, just wanting to help them team any way I can since I'm injured," She laughed nervously.
Bee's phone buzzed in her pocket, she took her phone out "What's going on?" Kory's text popped up on the screen and read "got the phone". A feeling of relief coursed through her. "Nothing, just a text from my dad" Her lips pursed. "Mhmm. I don't have time to discuss routines when we are getting closer to competition and homecoming," "Got it," Brooke muttered something under her breath about immature sophomores before leaving the room. Bee let out a sigh of relief and texted Kory back "Unto phase two!".
Gar practiced his part in the routine as he waited for Bee to come in and tell him all clear. This was his chance to prove to her that they could be friends again and that she could trust him. A chance for him to get closer to finding Terra, but in the back of his mind he knew that something was wrong. The double doors opened and Bee hobbled behind Brooke. "Okay! Let's get back into position and start from the top!" Gar made eye contact with Bee, she held a thumbs up to him. It was time for the distraction.
Brooke stood in front of everyone and pressed her phone. The music began to play from the speakers, "Alright, five, six, seven, eight" The cheerleaders danced their routine full out as Gar watched for his cue. They spun in circles before hitting the floor as Brooke snapped her fingers to the beat. They moved into a formation of a star, that was his cue to come in. Gar threw out a couple of dance moves that were sure to make the crowd laugh as he made his way over. "Ah!" Gar "fell" to the ground, hit the floor, and held his elbow. "Ah!" He yelled out again. Brooke stopped the music as the cheerleaders ran to his side.
"What happened?" "I-I don't know I think I hurt something," "Do you think you could dance?" Gar tried to do some of his moves, before wincing. "I think I need to get some ice on this," Brooke sighed. "Fine, you're done with the practice for the day. Get better," He nodded and got up. The cheerleaders, except Kitten, followed after with "Get Well Soon" and "Hope you feel better" He waved goodbye to them and Bee with his other hand before heading out the door. From the corner of his eye, Bee had a small smile on her face.
Kory and Gar walked down the hall in silence as Kory read Bee's texts. "She said we were supposed to meet him over here," He nodded as they continued. "I wonder what Kory has on the phone?" He thought to himself. She seemed so innocent and kind, what could she possibly have to hide? Girls that looked like Kory wouldn't even glance his way, let alone talk to him. They were usually a part of the teen supermodel and pageant queen crowd, sometimes cheerleaders.
The only people that were allowed to talk to women like that were people like Dick Grayson. Guys who they knew were getting ready to receive their trust fund. Still, Kory talked to him despite what he looked like and who he hung out with. She didn't judge him for his weird sense of humor; she'd laugh with him. He couldn't understand how she got so wrapped up in a situation with Bee to where they had to succumb to this. "Well, well scudmonkeys" Kory and Gar stopped in their tracks as Gizmo rolled towards them in his wheelchair. Gar never saw Gizmo outside of his "office": the old computer lab. It was dark in there and cold, kind of like Gizmo's heart. He looked different under the fluorescent lights, a shiny, bald head, with big, coke bottle glasses strapped around his neck.
His eyes were black as his wheelchair's tires, kind of small, and round. Gizmo glanced Kory up and down, then smiled. "Wow, Kory Anders in the flesh. You're prettier than your photos, no wonder Grayson's got his eye on you" Kory instinctively folded her arms over her chest. "Gar," Gizmo's sarcasm dripped from his voice as he addressed him. "Gizmo, long time no see," Gar tried to deescalate the situation with his charming smile. Gizmo wasn't laughing and held out his glove-covered hand "You've got the phone?" Kory took it out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Hmm, it's a new phone. Seems like it'll take some time to break into it," "Could you do it?" "Duh, I'm not an idiot. It's just an observation that I'm making. You two could hang tight out here—" "—We're going with you," Kory stated. Gizmo mumbled something under his breath. "I work alone," "This is both mine and Bee's photos on the phone. I'm not going anywhere," Gar could see the fire in Kory's eyes. "What she said," He added. Gizmo rolled his eyes "Fine, just stay out of my way," They both nodded as Gizmo turned around and wheeled himself into the computer lab, they followed him inside, then shut the door.
"So, it's a process with this software. I can't get into the phone like in the movies. There's a bunch of walls that it needs to go through before we can get into it," Kory glanced toward Gar, "How much time before practice ends?" Gar checked his watch. "We have about 30 minutes before Brooke ends it," They stared at the half-full blue bar on the screen. "I told you, it takes time before we can get into the phone. Maybe if one of you could find out her password, this wouldn't be a problem," Gizmo retorted, Kory rolled her eyes.
Gar picked up the phone off the table and observed it. Pink case with a sequined K on the back, yep that's Kitten's phone alright. "It couldn't be that hard, I mean no offense to Kitten, she doesn't seem like the type to have a complex password," "Doesn't matter, even the simplest ones require hacking," Gar swiped on the phone screen. The phone lit up and on display were the numbers inside bubbles. "What if her password was something simple as her birthday like Bee said before?" He thought. Gar gazes over at Kory, she is watching a cat video on her phone. Gizmo, on the other hand, was watching the screen in boredom and clicking away with the mouse. They wouldn't notice if he was able to open the phone and take a couple of things off of it, would they? "Okay, here goes," He inhaled a breath, then punched in the digits for her birthday. The phone buzzed with denial, so it wasn't her birthday. "Graduation date?" He punched in the digits, it buzzed again. He had two more tries before the phone would lock itself and they'd have to start the process over. He typed in the next best thing, the digits one, two, three, and four. The phone unlocked, Gar almost let out an exasperated breath but covered his mouth.
"I opened the phone, I opened it," He thought. Who knew Kitten was that dense? Well, everyone knew, but he was still pretty shocked. Gar pressed on the photos app and searched through the gallery, there was her on vacation, wearing a bikini, gross. One of her with some random guy in a leather jacket, yawns. There was even somewhere she had a bandage over her nose, nose job? He pressed the cheek mark on the photo, which could maybe get him some leverage with The Hive.
Gar peered over his shoulder to make sure that Gizmo and Kory weren't watching him, they weren't. He went back to the phone and managed to find the text message screenshots between Bee and Herald, he clicked on them. His eyes widened as he read through them. "Wow, Bee and Herald? Does Vic know about these text messages?" Gar thought as he clicked the check marks. Is that what Bee was worried about and why she needed the phone? Why was she so adamant about them deleting it? "It's almost done," Gizmo muttered. He had to be quick about sending the photos to his number, Gar took out his phone and air-dropped all of the checked photos he needed.
The photos were loading, sweat pricked at his forehead. "We've got about ninety percent," He glanced down at the download circle, it was loaded at eighty. "Crap, hurry up!" Gar carefully pressed the phone down on the counter to where Gizmo wasn't watching. He stared at his phone screen as the download was almost complete. "Okay, we're in" Gar wanted to scream. Gizmo grabbed a hold of the phone and did a couple of taps before opening it. "Huh, it's already on the photo screen," Kory peered over his shoulder. "At least it's going to be faster for us to get in," She began to search through the photos. Gar pressed on his photos app and saw the newly added pictures in his inventory, he let out a sigh of relief.
The Hive: Careful Gar, once I get a hold of that information there's no turning back; and I don't care who's toes I have to step on to get it.
"Everything has been deleted!" Bee almost jumped for joy except she didn't, cause she was in a cast and was in public. She stood outside of Herald's house with a hoodie over her head. After practice was over, Bee called a driver's service to drop her off at his place and make sure that no one was following her. She hobbled up the concrete pathway to the two-story house before her. It wasn't as big as her house or Vic's, hell compared to Dick's they all looked like small houses. Bee made her way toward the door and lifted her hand to knock. Knock. Knock. Herald opened the door with an ice pack over his left eye, his right eye widened at the sight of her.
"Bee, what are you doing here?" She reached out to touch his face, Herald stepped back. She deserved this treatment, after all, Vic went defcon 5 or whatever that movie was all over Herald's face. "I came to apologize," "It's fine—" "—No, it's not. I told Vic and figured he was going to do this," "He would have found out sooner or later," Herald removed the ice pack from his face, and Bee grimaced. His left eye had a dark purple bruise under it with a couple of red blotches surrounding it. He also sported a swollen lip and a cut on his cheek. Vic did a number on him and she only told him half the truth. Now, there was no evidence to show the other naughty things that she and Herald did.
Thank God or whoever was up there that was watching out for her. Herald was so calm about this, she expected him to be just as angry, maybe more at her. "What did your parents say when they saw your face," Herald chuckled. "I lied to them and said that I fell down the stairs during band practice. '' She playfully smacked his arm. "You didn't, why?" He gave her an "are you serious?" look. "Oh, that was sweet of you," He took a hold of her hand. "I'd do anything for you," Herald was about to lean in for a kiss, but Bee closed her eyes, her heart beating fast. Though she couldn't bring herself to kiss him, not after everything Vic had risked for her. She put her hands on his chest "I think we need to cool down for a bit," "What do you mean by cool down?" He didn't sound happy.
"I mean that we need to lay low, dial it down. I bought us some time, but until I win homecoming duchess and we work on your reputation around the school. Vic and I are still together," Herald took a couple of steps back, he opened his mouth to say something when his eye gazed behind her. Bee followed his gaze and found Dick with a skeptical look on his face, her heart sank.
The Hive: Looks like our Queen Bee's got some explaining to do. How are you going to get yourself out of this one with Boy Wonder on the case? Maybe your Bugle Boy and Plaything Herald could help you, just don't let Vic find out.
ComicGeek16: WOW! I'm kind of shocked, two chapters in less than two weeks? This chapter was super fun to write, did you like the glimpse of Bee's dark side? Also, I love all the reviews! It means so much to me, please if you have the time and haven't left a review yet, I'd love to hear from ya. It's cutting close before our big finale, so excited. Thanks for going on this journey with me, it's been so much fun so far. You haven't seen anything yet though ;). R&R, promote, see ya l8r.
