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Michael sat on the plush two seater lounge, his hands absentmindedly playing with the fresh white bandages on his knee. His ankle was also bound in a thick, supportive bandages and was propped up on a cushion on the small coffee table in front of him.
He was feeling a little awkward and a tad grateful. He didn't want to go back to the PPA after twisting his ankle, it would only prove how incompetent he really is, especially after his little outburst. Wonder if they are worried about him? He's sure they will freak if they find out that he's staying with the Blitzkrieg boys.
Speaking of which, they are not what he'd expected them to be. He was told they were ruthless, cold and harsh, and that they were psychotic. But, in reality they, well, weren't.
Okay, sure, Bryan can be a bit vicious if he doesn't get his coffee first thing in the morning, but that's not all that odd, Judy can be a right bitch if she doesn't get her coffee.
And if they were as cold, heartless and ruthless as stories claim them to be then Tala would not have pushed him out of the path of the speeding car and carry him back to his place were the rest of the Blitzkrieg boys were. And Kai would not have treated his wounds and offered him to stay without an explanation.
After getting out of the shower and into new, clean clothes he bumped into Spencer. He'd expected the tall blond to growl at him and ask 'what the hell are you doing here?' but he didn't, instead he told him to go into the kitchen and get something to eat, then lead the way.
Well, to make a long story short, he was surprised by the treatment he was getting.
Michael sighs and lean his head back against the lounge to stare up at the ceiling. I wonder if they're worried about me.
… … … … …
"Where the hell is Michael?" Emily fumed. "He's late for practice!"
"I don't know what to tell ya, Em," Eddy replies to the raging tennis player. "Maybe he over slept?"
Emily sent the basketball player a fearsome glare through her thin framed glasses. "Then he is as incompetent as I thought he was."
"Ease up would you, Emily?" Max said from his place near the beydish. He was staying in America with his mum and while there he was training with the All stars for the next tournament. Again the Bladebreakers decided to go on different teams, Ray with the white tigers, Kai with the Blitzkrieg boys and Max with the All stars.
"I'm sure Michael has a reasonable explanation why he's late," Max continues. "It's not like him to do it on purpose or anything, he is quite responsible, after all."
The tennis player gave an undignified snort. "Yeah right, he's so responsible. If he was as responsible as you say, Max, then why did he managed to crash the hard drive on my laptop?"
There was a sudden, loud snort from the back of the training room. Max glance over his shoulder. "Rick?"
"You're still going on about that bloody laptop?" he said. He sat on one of the benches in the room, his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest, a small, smug smirk on his lips. "Always willing to blame someone else for your mistakes, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" Emily huffs, indignant. How dare he insinuate that she had something to do with the destruction of the hard drive!
"Michael wasn't anywhere near your laptop," Rick said, not once bothering to open his eyes to regard the irate girl. "He wasn't even in the same room. Now unless he has some sort of magical powers we don't know about, there is no way that he had anything to do with the bitter lost of your laptops hard drive."
"Yeah, I was with Michael all day yesterday," Max spoke up, placing a finger to his cheek in thought. "So there was no way he's responsible."
"Well then who else is there that has the severe lack of knowledge needed to use a computer?" Emily snapped.
"Whoa, Emily, Michael may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he knows how to use a computer."
"If you want to blame someone with absolute no intelligence," Rick said, finally opening his eyes and climbing to his feet, strolling across the training room floor, heading towards the door. "All you have to do is blame yourself."
"What!" She shrieks.
"It was your fault the hard drive crashed," Rick replies smugly. "After all you downloaded that faulty program, didn't you?"
"How do you know that?" she sneers, her face was red from anger and humiliation.
"Well," He drawls. "I was there when it went 'boom'," he then laughs out rightly at the hatred and indignation on the orange hair's face. "Oh, and one more thing. Michael may be considered a jock, but he's not stupid," with those parting words he left the training area.
With her face redder than a tomato, Emily too left the training area. Max tried to stop her only to have her scream at him, so he let her go.
"Wow," Eddy mumbles. "I thought I'd never see the day when Rick stands up for Michael."
"They actually get along rather well," Max replies, feeling slightly shocked at the lack of knowledge this team has about their fellow teammates. "They're respective towards each other."
"So," Eddy said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "What now?"
Max looks sadden and shook his head. "I don't know," He mumbles. "Lets wait to see if Michael turns up and we'll go from there."
… … … … …
Michael smothers a yawn as he flicks through channels. The Blitzkrieg boys have cable put in but even with all these channels he still can't find anything interesting to watch. He pause on a documentary channel that had a program on Ancient Egypt. Egypt has always fascinated him, even now. All those Gods and Goddesses, the hieroglyphics and their beliefs on life after death. They were a strong, intelligent race. The most powerful of all the ancient races.
"Isn't this program a little too complicated for you to handle, Michael?"
Michael instantly bristles and took his time to regard the oh so annoying teen behind him.
"I don't think so," he replies coolly. "But if it's not your cup of tea I can always put it on the playhouse channel for you to enjoy."
Tala smirks at the injured teen on the lounge. "Really? Well I'm surprised that you know how to use such an advance tool."
Letting go of the remote before he crushed it in his hands, Michael grits his teeth. Why? Why does everyone think that the only thing he can do is play sport? He is an athlete, not some stupid jock!
As if sensing his irritation Tala decides to back off, frowning slightly. The little gears in his mind starts turning, wondering if their short bout of words about intelligence has anything to do with the reason why he doesn't want to go back to the PPA.
He so desperately wants to know the reason why the Yank doesn't want to go back. Many times he wanted to ask but Kai has cut himself off saying that; "if Michael wants us to know he will tell us in his own time". He also added that they hate being questioned so what right do they have to question someone else?
Stupid, know-it-all prick.
Michael glance over his shoulder when he heard a soft growl. Tala was staring heatedly at the ground, his arms folded across his chest in a really pissed off manner.
Michael frown. I'm the one who should be pissed off, not him! He fume to himself.
A shrill noise of the phone ringing pulls them both from their silent ragings. A moment later it stops and they figured that Kai probably answered it. Suddenly there was another growl, but it didn't come from Tala. It came from the direction of the kitchen and was followed by a loud crash.
Michael jumps slightly startled while Tala merely rose an eyebrow. A moment later Kai appears with what looked like the remains of a telephone in his hands.
"We need a new phone," he said calmly. He then places the remains in the trash and left the room, muttering something about brainless morons.
Tala gave a small laugh that sounded more like a snort. "The BBA."
"The BBA?" Michael couldn't help but ask.
"They keep ringing up, wondering what was going on," Tala answers.
"What is going on?" Michael found himself asking before he could stop himself.
"You tell me and I'll tell you," Tala replies quickly. He turns a serious gaze towards Michael who looked slightly shocked. He soon composes himself and tries to look disinterested.
"That's none of your business," He said.
"Likewise," Tala retorted.
Michael turns his gaze back to the television set but wasn't really interested in any of the programs. He frowns to himself as his mind went back to why he was here. He is so sick of the way he's constantly treated, as if he was nothing more than a trained monkey doing what it was told. He wanted out, he wanted to prove himself that he wasn't some halfwit, but he doesn't know how.
He suddenly felt slightly guilty with the way he was acting. Spencer probably had the same problem, but fortunately for him he has teammates who know of his supreme intelligence and don't go into shock every time he does something that would be considered out of character to other people.
Come to think of it, the whole Russian team would be out of character if any of the rumors were true. Taking him in for instance would be really, really out of character.
Maybe, maybe he could be himself around them.
He glance over his shoulder to see if Tala was still behind him. He wasn't. He felt slightly down and turns his tired gaze back to the TV. But if he wanted to be 'real' he had to tell them what was bothering him but they might consider him to be overacting and a loser for letting such little things get to him.
It wasn't a little thing to him, but it probably was considering what this Russian team has been through.
Yawing slightly, Michael turns off the TV and curls up on his side. A moment later he was asleep.
… … … … …
"Where do you think he is?" Max asks softly, worried for his friend. "I've called his usually places but they haven't got a clue where he could be."
"He probably needed a little time to himself," Rick replies from his spot leaning against the wall. "He's still probably stinging after what happened the other day."
"So, should we go look for him?"
Finished another chapter. I'm so proud of myself (sweatdrops)
Kai: You have other fics to finish as well.
(laughs nervously) That I do…I'll work on those right away! (scuttles off)
Next chapter: A fluffy moment then an argument.
Read and review, please.