Chapter Two Chellce's Rude Awakening
The fire blazed as two girls sat around it in South Wing Living Area, it was Saturday night just a week after the ordeal with the restroom. Chellce and Marie were waiting for Daus and Wyatt, who were finishing up another detention from a prank they had pulled earlier in the week. Bayns and been lenient on the year long detentions he had awarded the Band last semester by letting them go and yet those two had one already. Tyson, Sophie, Dillon, Noah, Crissy, Zander, Rory, and Will were all outside practicing for the up coming baseball game against East Wing. The school has allowed girls to join the boy's baseball team so four of the nine players were girls.
Chellce was fixing her shady blondish colored hair into a messy ponytail, squinting her pretty blue eyes as she accidentally pulled a little too hard. Marie on the other hand was lying upside down hanging off the armchair she was sitting on, letting her own dark brown hair fall under her touching the carpet.
"So Chellce, do you think that this war is as serious as everyone is making it out to be?" Marie looked up at the ceiling.
"Well yeah didn't you see how mad Tyson was when she found out Demetre framed her?" Chellce asked as she stared into the fire.
"Yeah she wants revenge bad." Marie smiled. Chellce got up moving to a window to check on the baseball team that was out on the field.
"Do they look like they're coming in any time soon? I'm tired of waiting, everyone is gone sept us to dinner." Marie lifted her head enough to look at her. Because as most knew the end of detention is based on when the current Dorm team that is practicing comes in.
"I can't tell, it's too dark." She leaned against the window as two other girls walked in, Aerith and Rielly. Aerith let her brown eyes search the common room to make sure there was no one else in the room before she sat down next to Chellce on the window sill. Rielly, looking smu,g stood next to the armchair that Marie was draped over. Aerith's brown hair fell in front of her face as she pulled her knees to her chest. She flipped it back almost knocking off her glasses as she said hello.
"Hey Chels, where've ya been?"
"We promised to wait here for Daus and Wyatt to get done with detention." Chellce smiled up at her best friend.
"Oh really, so Zander isn't going to meet you two?" Aerith sounded a little too happy.
"I don't know, he might. But most likely he'll meet us down in the dining hall like the rest of them that are on the team.
"Hey Aerith, let's go look for him, I'll talk to Daus later." Rielly spoke up, her bright golden hair twisted around her fingers.
"Daus, why?" Marie looked over at Rielly.
"I don't see how it's any of your business." Her bright blue eyes stared at Marie with a look of laughter in them. With that Rielly turned and started for the door back out of the room.
"Well Chels I'll see you at dinner if you ever make it." Aerith sort of smiled and got up following the blonde out of the room.
Outside was getting darker by the minute and had started to drizzle which made the already cold January evening even colder. Dillon and Crissy, who were the catcher and pitcher for South Wing's baseball team, were sitting in the dug out, out of the drizzle, waiting for their captain, Denium Drax, to blow the whistle signaling the end of practice. Will and Rory, the team's 2nd baseman and shortstop stood on Rory's base just talking not minding the rain. The outfielders, Tyson, Noah, and Sophie, were tossing a ball in a triangle between the three of them as they planned a prank to pull on Taglen, perhaps not even noticing the water that was hitting them. Denium, who wasn't just the teams' captain but also the 3rd baseman had 1st baseman and star hitter, Zander, off to the side teaching him a new technique to spin from facing the home plate to 2nd base as fast as possible. Getting bored Will and Rory moved over to the outfielders' little triangle and butted in on their conversation. But just moments later Denium finally blew the whistle and ended the practice just as it started to stop raining . Noah raced across the field as soon as he heard the whistle, followed by the rest of the team. Then as soon as all the equipment was put up they headed back to the locker rooms, Noah and Zander ahead of everyone by far.
"Noah, Zander wait up!" Dillon and Crissy got out of the dug out stepping onto the wet grass. Though they had been in the dug out they were both still wet. Crissy's grey green eyes were barely visible behind her sopping hair that hung in her face. Dillon's blonde hair casketed down her back clinging to her, and her deep brown eyes tried to focus where everything was now that it was fully dark. As soon as the two girls caught up to them they headed off again. Before they got more than a few feet Tyson was screaming at the team.
"Guys stop! I have to warn you, there's a trap for the team at the back doors to the school." Everyone turned to look at the red head.
"Tyson what do you mean?" Noah looked at his friend very annoyed , yes Noah was a prankster but was starving and cold and he didn't feel like playing her little games.
"I mean I was told by my very reliable contact that the Tagz put up a trap for us. I don't know what it is but we have to go through the front doors not the ones closest to the field. But this isn't surprising, they have it in for me..." She trailed off as she caught up.
"You mean we have to go all the way around the school just to get inside?" Rory looked mad. Tyson just looked at him and nodded.
"You think everyone's out to get you Ty." Crissy rolled her eyes making Dillon laugh.
"Just come on Rory the faster we change the faster we get inside." Noah pulled him towards the guy's locker room who was followed soon by the rest of the male players. The girls except Tyson walked into the girls' locker room.
"Oh they don't believe me…" Tyson shook her head and followed the girls.
"So you think Tyson's 'contact' was telling her the truth." Zander asked as he pulled off his muddy shirt.
"Eh knowing her there's no way to know." Denium shrugged taking off his cleats.
"Did dinner already start?" Will asked with a hand on his stomach.
"Yeah, bout five minutes ago." Rory looked at his watch. Showers and getting dressed back in the school's uniform was done in silence. Noah, Zander, and Rory was about to dash out of the room when Denium called out to them.
"Don't forget boys; practice tomorrow too, same time." Denium informed the three right before they were to leave causing them to groan and Will to laugh.
"Yeah okay Denium." With that they raced out into the cold night towards the school.
As they were going past the back doors someone walked out of them, it was Daus. Wyatt was right behind him but standing off to the side looking irritated.
"Guys were are you going?" He called out to them, they stopped and turned around.
"Umm nothing happened to you when you came outside did it?" Rory rubbed the back of his neck.
"Um no come on we're hungry and the girls are still upstairs we have to go get them." Daus motioned them inside.
"I'm going to kill Tyson." Noah ran up the steps and past Daus inside.
"So much for her 'reliable contact'." Rory smirked to Zander then both of them followed Noah.
The girls didn't say anything to Tyson until they were almost ready to go but when they did they let her have it.
"Tyson, it's your fault we're in this stupid war! I'm not supposed to be in it at all" Dillon started buttoning her shirt at the same time glaring at Tyson.
"Yeah well I didn't mean to get you guys in it." Tyson pulled her wet hair off her back and tied it up in a pony tail then clipped it to her head.
"I'm surprised you're still on the team since they haven't proven it wasn't you yet with the bathroom." Sophie shrugged as she pulled a warm sweater on over her school uniform then tied her hair up under a bandana.
"Yeah well I get to eat and go straight up to the Living Area after this, if I even look suspicious of another prank I'm in trouble." She put her sneakers on and tied the laces together of her cleats so she could hang them off her shoulder.
"So you were allowed to go to the 'extended lessons' today right?" Dillon asked.
"Oh yeah I was."
"And how'd it go?" Sophie smiled slightly nudging Tyson.
"It went great! I love spending time with Will outside of practice, but I think he found out that I already knew how to do the Ollie." Tyson's light grey eyes lit up at the mention of the lesson.
"Well that could be because you kept 'messing up' on it and it was quite obvious." Crissy laughed.
"That sounds so like you Tyson." Dillon rolled her eyes playfully. Soon the four girls walked out of the locker rooms in time to see the light flood onto the stairs of the back door to the school with Daus holding the door open, then Zander, Rory, and Noah run up them and inside letting the door close with a bang.
"Tyson, I thought you said that those doors were rigged for a prank?" Dillon said slowly through gritted teeth as her, Crissy, and Sophie gave Tyson the 'death glare'.
"That's what my contact said."
"Then how did the boys get through?" Crissy stepped up to Tyson which made her back up.
"Um I don't know."
"You better run… fast." Crissy tried not to smile as Tyson took off running towards the school.
"I'm the pitcher and I made her fly off so catcher go catch her, and if she tries to fly off to the right, I think the right fielder might want to go get her." Crissy smiled to Dillon then Sophie, both of which returned it and took off after Tyson right as Will and Denium left the boys' locker room.
"Brewster, Parker! What are you doing to my Center Fielder?" Denium laughed.
"Don't worry Denium, we won't hurt her…. " Dillon called back over her shoulder.
"Too much!" Sophie finished up the joke. Will and Denium just laughed.
Tyson was waiting at the bottom step of the staircase to the back door when Sophie and Dillon arrived winded, soon after Crissy came up walking.
"Why didn't you go in?" Sophie managed between large gasps of breath.
"I wanted to make sure the boys were long gone so they wouldn't kill me too." Tyson got up and dusted off her pants shivering.
"Ty, you're freezing get inside." Dillon looked at her still breathing hard.
"Fine I will!" Tyson lead the way up the stairs and grabbed hold of the door. As soon as she did something came falling down on her. A second later she was covered in pond water, moss, mud, fish guts and heads, slugs, and bird droppings. The other three girls screamed while Tyson just stood there shocked. Sophie looked up just in time to see a boy's head go back from the window a floor up, directly above the back door.
"OHHHH MY GOD TAGLEN!" Tyson suddenly burst out, her hands bawled up and she went screaming into the school. The other three had stopped screaming and just sat there looking at the mess that Tyson left behind, then they looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"She kinda deserved it, huh?" Sophie laughed her breath having just fully returned to her.
"I would have to say yes." Dillon smiled, Crissy just nodded. After a moment they caught their breath yet again from laughing.
"Come on it's cold out here let's go inside." Sophie held her side trying to calm down.
"I don't know Soph, look what happened to Tyson." Crissy looked at the mess again.
"Who ever dumped it on her didn't dump it on the boys, maybe they're only doing it to her." Sophie reassured them.
"Okay but if anything happ-" Dillon started but at that moment, another head popped out the window and unloaded another bucket on Sophie who had went to open the door, it barely missed Dillon and Crissy.
"Oh, Tyson and Taglen are sooooooooo dead!" She muttered trying to keep her mouth shut so not to let any of the slimy contents enter. She still had hold of the door handle so Crissy and Dillon laughed and slipped between Sophie's arm and the door getting inside without having a bucket dumped on them. Slowly Sophie followed. Once inside the school building they could hear Tyson's yells from inside the Dining Hall. Soon Wyatt, Zander, and Daus came running out of that exact place, laughing but stopped in their tracks when they saw Sophie.
"He got you too?" Wyatt burst out in a new fit of laughter
"Hush Wyatt, Soph are you okay?" Daus couldn't hold the laughter in.
"Man, Soph you stink!" Zander was almost on the floor dying of laughter.
"Hey Daus, hey Zander, Wyatt!" Rielly and Aerith walked down the stairs that led up the next floor.
"Hey girls." Wyatt managed then looked back at Sophie and started laughing again.
"SHUT-UP Wyatt!" Sophie hit him in the arm and marched pass Rielly and Aerith who were both suppressing giggles.
"Wow, what's going on here?" Rory came out of the Dining Hall.
"Oh you know the usual. Rielly and Aerith in everyone's business, the girls getting caught in the prank war, and Wyatt acting like a dork." Zander trailed off still laughing.
"Soph, where are you going I needed to talk to you." Daus looked guilty for laughing.
"Daus, I'll be back after I take another shower, you can wait till then can't you?"
"Yeah sure." With that Sophie left up to her dorm to change. Daus sighed then turned to Wyatt who was on his knees laughing.
"Wyatt, get up we'll talk to them later, come on." He turned back to the Dining Hall where Tyson was still screaming with a weak attempt to shut her up by the teachers. Both Tyson and Demetre were taken into the room next to the Hall as Wyatt, who was now off the floor, Dillon, Zander, Crissy, and Daus walked in the Hall followed by Aerith and Rielly. About 14 rather big round tables set for roughly 20 people each were spread out before them, the tables were filled with chattering students. The teachers were set at a longer table off against a wall to the right so they could keep an eye on the students. Most of their friends were sitting at a table off to the back left corner table so they headed off to join them.
"Okay look Aerith, apparently Zander doesn't like you. So stop trying to flirt with him!" Crissy stopped and screeched at Aerith after getting aggravated by her trying to push her away from Zander and trying not to do it noticeably.
"What? What makes you think that I think that? And anyways it's not like he likes you either." Aerith rambled on confusing a few people as she flipped her hair from her face.
"I never said I did think that, just that you're pissing me off!" She walked the rest of the way to the table, Wyatt 'coughed' but sat down trying to suppress a new set of giggles. Crissy sat down next to him in frustration. Zander was sure to sit in between them, the others just found places along the table.
"Chellce, I'm sorry but Aerith is changing and it's for the worst." Marie sighed as she sat up straight; her face bright red.
"Yeah I know" Chellce looked at the fire.
"I think you should talk to her."
"I… I just can't. She was the first one who wanted to be my friend at the beginning of the year; she brought me into the group."
"What does that have anything to do with talking to her, it's not like you're breaking up with her." Marie looked at Chellce, her face returning to normal.
"I know. But you know how Aerith is; she'll be hurt and ask how we think she's turning into Rielly. I'll have to tell her that this guy she only likes cause Rielly told her to is basically taken by one of her friends. And yet she still insists on still going after him trying to steer him from Crissy, which is like breaking the girls' code of friendship. She'll never talk to me again." Chellce looked on the verge of tears at the last comment.
"Oh Chels," Marie got up from the chair and moved towards her friend, taking her in her arms, "If Aerith really wanted to be friends with you she wouldn't let Rielly boss her around. She's better at letting people rule over her and you're not like that, you let her make her own decisions. She's scared to do that, so she follows someone that will boss her around." She pushed a stray piece of Chellce's hair from her face.
"But I don't want to stop being friends with her, she's my best friend." Chellce let one tear fall.
"Look Chels, I'm having to comfort you because she's not here, because she ditched you to follow Rielly. What kind of friend is that? Best friends are always there for you, they're not suppose to be the reason to cry."
"You're right you are a much better friend to me than her." Chellce smiled and sat up straight, Marie's arms still draped around her.
"Now you know Chels that if the other girls were here they'd help to make ya feel better too. Like Soph, Crissy, Dillon, even Tyson. And she isn't good with drama stuff like this." Marie laid her head against Chellce's and they looked at each other smiling.
"Yeah I know." They laughed remembering all the times Tyson had freaked under the pressure of girl drama, "Wait did you hear a whistle?"
"Yeah practice must be over." Marie got up and went to the window to see if she could see anything through the night. "Well let's start heading down there and we'll meet up with em." Just as they were leaving the room Noah showed up out of breath.
"Hey, sorry the others didn't come but Ty is causing trouble again and it's hilarious, they didn't want to miss it so they told me to come and get ya. Come on."
As they made their way down the long hallways Sophie came into view. At the sight of her both Chellce and Marie's mouths dropped open, not smiling anymore, because unlike the boys and Tyson, who would have laughed if she had saw and had it not happened to her, the girls were nice enough to not laugh at each other. Noah on the other hand had to hold back laughter, his sister hit him for it.
"Oh my God Soph! What happened to you?" Chellce asked as her eyes got big.
"Tyson and Demetre are what happened to me!" She had wiped all the muck off her face on the way up the first two floors.
"Oh did you get caught in one of their pranks?" Marie looked horrified.
"Yes." Was all she got back.
"You poor thing." Marie hit Noah again.
"Yeah I know."
"Why do you keep hitting me?"
"Cause this is basically your fault. Your war."
"Not my war, Ty's war."
"No the JWB Band's war, so your war." She turned from her brother and towards Sophie, "So ya need to change, want me to come with ya?" Marie asked.
"If you don't mind the smell but I would like some company there and back. I need to rant though so yeah…"
"Hey that's fine, you deserve to rant. Alright then I'll catch up with y'all later." She looked at Chellce who nodded and started walking to the dining hall with Noah in tow.
Once Marie and Sophie reached the dorms of the South Wing they had decided that while Sophie got into the shower Marie would get clean clothes out for her. It took Sophie ten minutes just to get all the crap out of her hair then another five just washing her body trying to rid herself of the smell of fish. Finally she emerged from the bathroom with towel wrapped around her body and one around her copper curls. Like she had promised, Marie had set out clothes for her.
"Thanks Marie, man this sucks this is my fourth time changing today. Once to get outta my pj's, once before practice, another after practice, and now." Sophie explained as she looked over what Marie had set out for her.
"Hey it's cool, I'll be in the Living Area when you get done." Marie shrugged and left Sophie so she could change in private. When she emerged from their dormitories Sophie was wearing another set of the school uniform, her curls were pulled back with two big burettes. The two girls made their way down to the Dining Hall, when they were on the front stair case they heard screaming again. But this time it wasn't Tyson but it sounded like Denium or Demetre's voice. Once inside the Dining Hall and took in what was happening they couldn't help but laugh even though Sophie had just been in the same mood and look. There in the middle of the Dining Hall was Denium covered in the slope from the bucket yelling at Head Principal Card who was just nodding with Demetre at her side trying to defend himself with remarks to the Principal, Tyson was nowhere in sight.
"I'M TIRED OF HIM MESSING WITH MY FIELDMAN AND THE REST OF MY TEAM, HE HASN'T BEEN HERE A WHOLE YEAR AND HE'S ALREADY A NEUCENCE HE NEEDS TO LEAVE US ALONE!" Denium was yelling.
"I am not a neucence! I didn't even mean for them to get the rest of you, it was meant for Tyson! Plus I'm not just messing with her; she's been pulling pranks on me left and right all year.
"That's funny, she's a center fielder, it's not her job to go left and right." Denium glared sarcastically at Demetre.
"Hm, I wonder where she is." Marie looked at the odd scene.
"I'm not to sure if I want to know." Sophie replied neither of them taking their eyes off the screaming 5th year as they quietly walked over to the table with their friends and sat down. Sophie sat next to Daus who made Rielly and Aerith scoot over for her, and Marie joined Crissy on her other side.
Wyatt watched the scene trying not to burst out laughing. Soon HP Card got Denium to calm down enough to get him and Demetre to go to her office.
"So what happened?" Sophie asked as Card left their line of sight, a janitor was starting to clean all the muck off the floor that Tyson and Denium left behind.
"Denium had enough of Demetre's crap and blew up." Wyatt smiled.
"Thank you Captain Obvious." Sophie laughed.
"Let me explain." Daus rolled his eyes."
"Yes please do." Marie nodded.
"NO, I will!" Wyatt sounded like he was five, Crissy laughed and told him to calm down, "I don't need to calm down" He flipped his dark hair out of his face giving Crissy a fake glare.
"So anywho, what happened?" Marie laughed stealing Tyson's word, 'anywho'.
"Anyways," Wyatt turned back to the group, "Tyson came in here screamin' her head off at Demetre sayin' she'd kill 'em and he laughed and said she deserved it," At this Sophie and Marie looked at each other and laughed, Wyatt looked at them but went on, "Then Card, Bayns, and Turner came and took them into the office next door but everyone could hear Demetre and Tyson yelling at each other for awhile. Then Demetre and Card walked out when Denium came in yellin, I'm guessin he got hit too but-"
"I know what happened," Will spoke up, "We were walkin back from practice and realized we forgot to lock up so we had to go back so we didn't see em get hit and we forgot bout Tyson's warnings before and-" This time Aerith interrupted him.
"You mean to say all of you knew this would happen and yet you still fell for it?" She looked at them as if they were as dumb as rocks.
"Yes Aerith but that's because we're not smart enough to not fall for it." Sophie did what she meant to do, confuse Aerith. She rolled her eyes and turned to Will with everyone snickering. "Continue Will,"
"Okay, well we went up the steps and Denium opened the door and was about to go in when someone from another story up dumped it on him just barely missin me. I went around him laughin and went in." Will was going to go on but Wyatt interrupted him.
"Yeah thanks bud, got it from here." Wyatt looked at Will with a face that said ha-I-won-now-I-get-to-tell-the-story-so-shut-it, "So Denium blows up and starts yelling and coming just as Card and Demetre are walking back out. Denium starts cussin Taglen out and Card tells him to hush but all Denium does is stop cussin. Then Taglen tries to defend himself and you walked in." He wore a look of triumph.
"Yeah okay who cares Wyatt." Rielly pretended to yawn, "Daus love, I want to show ya something can you come with me?"
"Um Ri I'm really sorry but I need to talk to Sophie, maybe after?" He tried to let her down easy.
"Yeah whatever." She went back to her food.
"Yeah Crissy I need to talk to you too." Zander looked at Rielly shaking his head laughing and got up. Sophie and Crissy exchanged confused glances, shrugged and followed Zander and Daus to the edge of the Dining Hall, Zander leading Crissy to the right and Daus with Sophie to the left.
"So Crissy um I wanted to ask you if uh you'd like to go out with me?" The prankster looked serious for once.
"Yeah. I thought you'd never ask!" Crissy laughed relieved and hugged him. Zander let out a breath and hugged her back.
"So can I hold you hand walking back to the table or is that moving to fast?" He returned to his usual jokester self as he teased her.
"Yes I think that would be fine." She giggled with her reply, Zander took her hand and lead her back to the table. Everyone smiling at the new couple with an exception of Aerith and Rielly who were both glaring at Crissy who just smiled sweetly back at them.
Sophie followed Daus over to the other side away from the noise.
"So what'd ya want to talk to me about?" She smiled when they stopped and faced each other.
"Actually I wanted to ask you something." He started then looked at something behind Sophie for a moment causing her to turn around, Crissy was hugging Zander and he took her hand. On the way back to the table Zander winked at Daus who nodded and took a deep breath.
"Okay shoot." Sophie turned back facing Daus.
"Okay um I want to know if youdliketogooutwithme?" He mumbled all together.
"Well if I could understand what you were asking…" She looked confused.
"Soph, would you go out with me?" He repeated slower as if every word was another chance for her to laugh at him and walk off.
"Really? Oh I mean yes!" Sophie squealed and clapped her hands together once. Then as Daus was realizing that she had in fact said yes not no she couldn't help it, she almost jumped on him to hug him. And instead of him taking her hand she took his as they walked back to the table with the same glares from Aerith and Rielly. As they sat down again Zander leaned over to Daus and whispered.
"Yes I presume then?"
"You presume correctly, and you?"
"Yep!" The two smiled and gave a low high five.
"Nervous were we?" Zander smiled knowing just how nervous Daus actually was about doing what he just did.
"Duh, you?" Zander looked around real quick to make sure no one was watching and nodded. Both smiled and went back to the many different conversations and food on the table.