Sam's whole body itched from the sickeningly fru-fru light purple uniform she had to wear. On her shoulder was a pink and black sports bag that contained the things Melanie said she would need for practice. In her hand, was a list that Melanie said she would need. There were several detailed diagrams of the court, a few plays they used, and all the rules. Sam still remembered them so she didn't really care to read that part. She was more interested on the names next to a few pictures.

Sam read the names:

Team A:
Catherine (Setter) (Captain)
Susie (Libero) (Vice captain)
Beatrice (Middle Blocker)
Annie (Right Side Hitter)
Danielle (Opposite)
Jennie (Outside Hitter)

Team B:
You (Setter)
Helga (Libero)
Bailey (Middle Blocker)
Taylor (Right Side Hitter)
Jamie (Opposite)
Heather (Outside Hitter)

Extras:
Rachel (Strong Setter)
Charlene (Strong Middle Blocker)
Vanessa (Strong Opposite)

Sam frowned. Maybe it was a good idea to read up on some of the rules, especially if they clarified what the heck a Libero was.

Absently, she turned into the gym while she read the careful notes that her sister laid out.

"Melanie, oh em gee. You're back."

Sam walked to the bleachers and set her bag down with the rest, oblivious to the person addressing her.

"Mel?" The girl that was previously running up to her came to a stop a few inches away. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Sam looked up finally seeing the person in front of her. She had bright blue eyes, the color of an ocean on a map-pretty but dull-and black hair tied in a neat ponytail. "Bailey, sup."

Bailey raised a brow. "Sup?"

Sam realized her mistake and bit her lip. No, be chill. You can still make this work. She thought. She cleared her thoughts and pitched her voice to go higher. "Oh, sorry. I think I was around my sister too long this week."

Bailey tilted her head in confusion. "You have a sister."

Well, that hurt. Sam thought while expertly keeping her facade in place. Those lessons from Cat were actually quite useful. "Yeah, I haven't said?"
Bailey shook her head. "I always thought that you were an only child."

"Oh, well, your mistake then." Sam giggled, maybe an octave too high before walking away and rolling her eyes.

A confused Bailey turned on her heel and watched as "Melanie" walked away with a strange, thug-like gait. "Yeah. I guess it was."

Sam didn't hear her as she took a position a distance away from the other girls. They ran through warm ups which Sam put half a heart into. It attracted some attention and strange looks but no one approached her yet. They were probably intimidated by her patented Samantha Glare. Bailey telling everyone that Melanie was in a bad mood might have also helped matters.

After a few laps around the gym, the girls condensed into one group near the center with one standing among them. It was a petite girl that was maybe a few inches shorter than her with chocolate brown eyes and a darker hue for her hair. Sam identified her as, Catherine, the team captain.

"Alright, girls. The tournament is the end of this week." She giggled cheerfully as a round of applause erupted in the small crowd. "Alright, calm down. We're going to be practicing the new plays so get in your groups. Rachel, take my spot on the A team and Charlene, take Melanie's. I'm going to go teach her the stuff she missed. Vanessa, you're the gofer." With a clap of her hand the crowd cheered and dispersed like clockwork, taking a position on opposite sides of the net. Vice-captain Susie was not all that focused, too intent on watching everyone else and making sure that they were doing their jobs correctly.

"So where's the coach during all this?" Sam asked as Catherine ran up to her.

"You're speaking funny today. Did you eat something weird while you were away?" She asked, making Sam remember where she was and what she was suppose to be doing.

"I mean, umm, so, where's coach today? Is she here?" She added an awkward laugh for good measure.

Catherine's brow scrunched. "Our coach is a boy." She responded.

"Sorry. I meant he. It slipped."

Catherine tilted her head and looked at Sam with a knit brow. Sam was so sure she had been caught, she was unprepared when the girl grabbed her face and press their foreheads together. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red and left her mind blank. Her heart began to race and her cheeks heated.

On Instinct, Sam pulled away with a scowl.

"Quit it, Cat. Jeez."

"Cat?" Catherine still looked confused but with a slight bit of amusement too. "That's a cute nickname. I like it."

Sam's blush worsened. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. I was just . . . sorry."

"Whoa there Mel, calm down. It was nothing." Catherine's smile turned mischievous, her eyes brimming with something that Sam couldn't outright identify. "I liked it actually." The girl purred, her whisper warming Sam's face and exacerbating the redness.

Sam gaped, her mouth suddenly very dry. "Huh?"

Catherine rolled her eyes but she couldn't help smiling. "We're at practice so stop horsing around you silly filly." Playfully, Catherine beckoned Sam into the volleyball stance, legs spread and knees bent.

Nervously, Sam squatted and looked over at Catherine, silently asking of she was doing it right. She was answered when the brunette's eyes began to trail down her body. Her tounge even poked out and made a slow deliberate lick over her cherry pink lips before the girl seemed to catch herself and just settled for smiling impishly. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Sam gulped and nodded. It was going to be a long practice.

Meanwhile, Melanie was carefully laying her new page on the ground, waiting for it to dry. With only 10 more pages to go, her manga was nearing completion, or at least, the first one was. She needed to make 200 copies by the end of the week.

She didn't think it should have been too hard. All she needed to do was hand sew every single one of them while studying for three tests, all of which, advanced placement.

Maybe if she cut back on the sleep by 25%, she could get in 2 hours of extra Calculus practice and finish 35 copies at the same time.

Melanie nodded. Yes, she could totally do this.

It's almost child's play. She chuckled, her left eye twitching.

Surprisingly, the practice was fairly short, only lasting an hour before vice-captain Susie called it off.

"Coach Applebaum texted me. Our new equipment should be arriving soon but we need to clear out so the guys can fit the new poles into the court." She announced earning groans of disappointment from the group.

"Don't worry girls. We'll make it up. SPH hasn't gotten us out yet." Susie added for motivational benefits, not that it worked.

"Hey, what's happening?" Sam asked.

The two team leaders turned around. Susie sighed. "It's just those South Private High kids again. They vandalized our equipment while you were gone so these are just rentals. Didn't you notice?"

Sam was spared from answering when Catherine continued. "That school is always playing dirty, huh, Melanie? You've taken the full blunt of their tricks a few times, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Especially freshman year. God, that was awful." Bailey whispered to the team B Outside Hitter who nodded in agreement. The team adopted a look between admiration and sympathy.

Sam's brow furrowed wondering just how much Melanie really had to go through to fit into this school.

"Oh, yeah. Bad times." She shook her head, pretending to recall the events that never happened to her. "So, have we prepared a counter strike yet?"

Several of the girls backed up with a gasp. "Melanie Puckett, we will not besmirch our fair school's name by foul play." Susie scowled.

Behind her, Catherine's smirk went unnoticed.

Sam nervously began to giggled, vapidly. "I was joking guys. Of course, we wouldn't . . . do a naughty thing like that." It was like acid in her throat trying to talk like her sister but she squeezed the words out.

Everyone seemed to buy it because a wave to polite giggles emanated from the crowd.

"Mel, you are so funny." Bailey commented to which Sam just forced a smile at.

"Well, girls. We'd better pack up." Catherine concluded.

The crowd dispersed into groups, some collecting balls the others taking the net. A few were posted by each pole, waiting for their turn.

Sam just went straight to her bag shortly followed by Catherine.

"Skipping out on work? That's not very 'Melanie' like of you."

Sam stiffened before turning to face the person behind her. "No, I was just . . I was . . ."

Catherine laughed. "You can stop now. I know you aren't Melanie."

Sam grabbed the other girl by the arm and led her farther away from the group. "How do you know that?

"Please, anyone who knows your sister would know that you are certainly not her." Catherine said. "And also, punching the volleyball isn't the same as setting it."

Sam was quiet for a bit. "Good point."

Catherine smirked. "Melanie certainly wasn't kidding when she said her sister was a live wire."

Sam looked into the girl's chocolate brown eyes. "Since my sister actually told you about me, I take it that you know her pretty well."

Catherine's smirk widened. "Oh, yeah." Sam detected a hidden meaning in those words but she couldn't figure out what it was. "We've been . . . friends. . . for quite some time."

Sam leaned in close. "Alright, so, what's Mel's history with these South Private High clowns?"

Catherine raised a brow. "Why?"

The blonde shrugged. "Just curious."

Catherine didn't seem like she bought the excuse but began to tell Sam anyway. "Well, your sister was pretty good at the game even during freshman year. When SPH heard about the rising volleyball star, it made a few of them pretty nervous."

"Okay, so what'd they do?"

Catherine sighed. "Fanime."

Hey there Sam and Cat fans,

The plot thickens. Have a good night.

Signing off,

Gears N Wires