AN: I love this chapter. I had forgotten, but while editing it I remembered how much fun it was. So I hope the rest of you enjoy it too. As for a clue, technically there's another plot-equivalent in this chapter, but I'll give you one anyway. Angeletti's character-equivalent is named Angelo (huh, I wonder where I got his name from).
A Little Bad
Stella snuck into the atrium and sat beside Macy, wrapping one arm around her best friend's shoulders.
"How you holding up?"
Macy sighed. "Okay. I mean, I should be happy. We're gonna clobber Lupine Prep, which I love doing. They're like our West High."
"They really are," Stella agreed with a smile. "But …"
"But I hate chess. So it's more of a draw than anything."
"Are you sure I can't tell the --" Stella's phone went off and she jumped, digging into her bag so viciously Macy figured she must be expecting a call from Joe. Which, Macy thought as Stella read the text, was weird since they should probably have seen each other already this morning.
"Was it Joe?" Macy asked as Stella slipped the phone back into her bag.
"What? No. Nothing. It was just a text."
"Yeah," Macy said with a chuckle, "but from who?"
"Oh. Joe. Anyway, are you sure I can't tell the guys about Angeletti?"
Macy blinked and wondered for the first time if the school uniforms might be part of a plot to replace the student body with pod people and make it less conspicuous when Stella stopped being fashionable. She shook her head, whatever was going on with Stella would have to wait.
"No! And don't you dare go behind my back and tell them while I'm gone."
"Gone?" Stella echoed.
"The track meet? I have to miss the last half of the school day because of it."
"Oh yeah. Sorry, Mace, things have just been so crazy lately."
"I get it," Macy said. "Have you seen the guys around? It's almost first period and I really wanted to spend at least some time with them today."
"No, and they're usually not this late. They should have at least called or something by now."
The pod people theory was becoming more and more likely. Before Macy could ask Stella's opinion on what Shane Gray was wearing in his latest video the bell rang, summoning them to class.
Macy sighed. "I guess I'll have to catch them between classes."
"Yeah," Stella said and stood, holding her arms out to give Macy a hug.
Macy shook her head. "The 'no inappropriate touching' rule has been extended to hugging."
"Seriously?" Stella asked, dropping her arms to her sides.
"That's what I heard anyway. I'll see you later?"
"Definitely."
Stella didn't see Macy again that day and by the time lunch rolled around was sorry to say she'd missed her best friend entirely. She knew what had probably happened. Macy's first period teacher was the chess coach, so he'd probably kept her after and then the routes between their second and third period classes were on opposite sides of the school. And then between third and fourth Stella had gotten into a debate with her English teacher about her bad grade.
That was it. Next semester, she was changing her schedule so she had a few more classes with her best friend.
Of course, all of that reasoning still didn't explain where the boys had been all day.
"Where were you?" Stella asked, sitting down at the boys' table.
The three groaned in unison and Stella noticed that none of them seemed able to sit up properly or open their eyes fully.
"What happened?" she asked more gently.
"Mom made us clean our room," Nick said, "and somehow one of the remotes found its way into Joe's bed."
"I said I was sorry," Joe said.
"We heard you the hundredth time, bro," Kevin said.
Nick continued, "He rolled over onto it in the middle of the night and started up the theater system. Then he somehow turned the volume up to its maximum."
"Oh, Joe," Stella said, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"That woke the whole house up," Kevin said. "By the time we actually found the remote to shut it off we were all wide awake. Nick had accidentally shut off the alarm, thinking that was the noise when he first woke up, so between midnight milk and cookies with Mom, Dad, and Frankie and no alarm we barely made it to first period on time."
"Speak for yourself," Joe said. "I was late to PE because it took me too long to dress out. Coach made me stay after and do laps so I was late to second period and I left my backpack in the locker by mistake so I've been having to borrow supplies."
"Why didn't you just go back and get it after second period?" Stella asked.
"Van Dyke is Coach Axel's TA during third," Nick said.
Stella rolled her eyes. Joe really needed to get over his hatred of Van Dyke.
"But I have it now," Joe said as if that proved some point, and pulled it from beneath the table. "Where's Macy? She left her football helmet at our house."
"Oh, she's gone."
"Gone?" Kevin asked.
"She has a track meet today. The bus probably just left."
"Dang," Joe muttered. "I really don't wanna have to carry this thing around anymore."
"You haven't been carrying it around at all," Nick pointed out. "It was in the locker room, remember?"
"Give it to me," Stella said, hoping to put this to rest as quickly as possible. "I still have that extra locker. I can put it in there and give it to Macy tomorrow."
Joe unzipped his backpack and pulled the helmet out. He handed it to Stella and the moment both of their hands were touching it a tiny rodent head popped out.
"Mr. Piebald!" Kevin yelled at the same moment Stella let out a shriek.
Joe, driven by instincts passed down to him by his forgotten medieval knight ancestors, threw the helmet into the air in an effort to protect his fair maiden. Stella scrambled away from the table as the helmet came crashing down on Nick's plate, sending splatters of gravy and spinach surprise onto all three boys' uniforms.
Kevin grabbed for the helmet but by the time he got it Mr. Piebald had already crawled out and begun searching frantically for a new hiding place. Kevin scrambled under the table after him, as did Joe, who was still following his chivalrous instincts. Being the only brother with no one he loved in current danger, Nick hurried to stand beside Stella. He noted sadly that Van Dyke was comforting her and knew he was in for a night full of rants from Joe.
"You're scaring him!" Kevin cried while he and Joe crawled after Mr. Piebald, who was on his way to another, less screaming lunch table.
"Well he's scaring Stella!" Joe snapped and kept going.
Students scattered as they approached and the brothers split up, going opposite directions around the table. Mr. Piebald ran towards a pair of green sneakers, the owner of which jumped onto her chair. Unable to stop on the slick tiled floor Mr. Piebald skidded into Joe's waiting hands.
"Got him!" Joe declared, climbing to his feet and holding the hamster over his head like a trophy.
"Very good, Mr. Lucas. And can you explain why you thought it wise to bring a hamster to school in the first place?" Angeletti asked.
This day could not get any worse. A meteor striking the planet could only help. That was how epically bad Joe's day was. He'd been late to school, had to run extra laps in gym, had to go three classes without supplies because of stupid Van Dyke, been attacked by a hamster, been dragged to the principal's office, and, to top it all off, he had to endure seeing Van Dyke comfort Stella!
Of course, since he'd been hugging her Angeletti had dragged them into his office too. So at least Joe knew Van Dyke wasn't still comforting her, the lug was too worried about his spot on the football team to bother. But since they were all trapped under Angeletti's withering gaze Joe couldn't comfort her either, which left him to wonder what had happened in the few minutes he'd been chasing the hamster (who had also been taken to the office and was on the desk in a frog terrarium borrowed from the science supply closet).
Joe almost wished Angeletti would start yelling at them as images of Van Dyke and Stella assaulted his helpless brain. Van Dyke hugging Stella. Van Dyke brushing the spinach off Stella's cheek. Van Dyke leaning slowly closer to Stella. Van Dyke kissing Stella!
Joe whirled to give Van Dyke his best glare.
"Detention," Angeletti said, catching all three students' attention. "This Saturday. All three of you."
"WHAT?" the three cried.
Van Dyke slumped back into his seat, seeming to take the punishment in stride, while Joe and Stella began arguing.
"We've got a concert on Saturday!" Joe said. "It's too late to cancel on the President now!"
"You can't do this! If you do this we'll lose on Saturday!" Stella cried.
"Whoa! You've gotta cancel on the President?" Van Dyke asked. "Dude," he said to Angeletti, "you cannot make them do that!"
"What do you mean we'll lose on Saturday?" Joe asked, turning to Stella.
Stella gave Joe a helpless look before turning back to Angeletti. "You know we will!" she insisted.
"Maybe," Angeletti said, "maybe not. Regardless, I will see you all bright and early on Saturday morning."
Joe let his head fall back in defeat. He was right back where he had been two days ago.
"What about the hamster?" came a muffled voice through the door.
Angeletti came around his desk and pulled the door open, revealing Kevin, who smiled sheepishly. "The hamster will be donated to the science department. I'm sure they can find some use for it."
"But --" Kevin began.
"Out," Angeletti ordered. "All of you. And please, try not to get in any more trouble."
They filed out and Joe made a face at the closed door. "Try not to get into any more trouble," he imitated.
"I'm sorry, man," Van Dyke said, slapping him on the back. "Stells? See you Saturday. I'll bring you a mochaccino? Kay, I gotta go tell Coach I'm still on for Friday's game."
Van Dyke jogged down the hall and Joe turned to Stella.
"You let him call you Stells? I'm the only one who gets to call you Stells!"
"Can we focus please!" Nick demanded. "You just got detention for Saturday! Again! How are we gonna tell Dad?"
"It looks like we won't have to," Kevin said hopefully. Stella had her phone out and was texting rapidly.
"What?" she asked when she felt their eyes on her.
"Are you telling our Dad?" Joe asked hopefully.
"Oh? No. I -- I have to go." She hurried away.
"Hey!" Joe called after her. "I'm not done yelling at you for letting Van Dyke use my nickname for you!" He ran after her, intent on finishing their argument.
"Not it!" Nick yelled suddenly.
"Huh?" Kevin asked.
"Not it," Nick repeated calmly. "You have to call Dad and tell him."
"What? But -- but I want to live!"
"Come on, Kev, you're the first born. You have a special place in Dad's heart."
"Yeah, but he also has three backups to take that special place after I die."
"Will it help if I promise to make you cookies once we get home?"
"Maybe."
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