Thank you guys for your helpful and awesome reviews :D
And last but not least, here's Ophelia's chapter!
*Disclaimer: I do not own JL and neither do I own Pat Benatar's Hit Me with Your Best Shot. The only things I own are the teens in this fanfic
O~O~O
Chapter Fourteen: Hit Me with Your Best Shot
BBBbbrrrrrrttttttt!!! BBBbbrrrrrrttttttt!!!
The sound of two whistles went up in the air as Mr. O'Grady and Mrs. Harrison, the physical education teachers, assembled their students into the school outdoor field.
All of the students were clad in their gym uniforms. The T-shirt was white, with the students' name in a gold script over the school crest on the upper, right hand side in the front and a pair of parallel navy blue lines going down each sleeve. The shorts were a solid navy blue color, and they required sneakers for the physical exercise.
Valen, Evangelia, Ophelia, Maddox, Billy, and Lilly were in the same gym class. Phys. Ed., along with Chemistry and lunch, were one of the few classes they all had in common on their schedules.
Mrs. Harrison took her girls gym class to one end of the field and Mr. O'Grady took his boys to the other end. Usually, they would have their separate classes, however, the teachers decided to combine them for today.
"Alright girls, time for warm-ups! Cross your left arm over your chest and hold it. One…two…three…" Mrs. Harrison said as she led the warm-ups. The boys can be seen doing the same thing across the field. She turned on the radio while they warmed up, which was a fun routine they usually did.
Pat Benatar's 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' blared on the speakers.
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it!
Hit me with your best shot!
Why don't your hit me with your best shot!
Hit me with your best shot!
Fire away!
After they had stretched and done their warm-ups they were told to jog two laps around the track field. Billy and Lilly was ahead everyone else but they seemed to be trying to take it easy.
When everyone completed their laps, the teachers blew their whistles again and the students came into the center of the field.
"For the next week, we shall be doing something new," Mr. O'Grady said in a loud voice so that all could hear. "Mrs. Harrison and I shall be teaching you the art of archery. Archery dates all the way back to ancient times. It was used for wars, hunting, as well as sport."
As Mr. O'Grady informed the students about the history of archery, Mrs. Harrison and a few of the field workers set up a line of targets and brought out the bows and arrows. Just as Mr. O'Grady was finished with his information, Mrs. Harrison appeared by his side with a bow and arrow ready, a bracer on her left arm, and a glove on her right hand.
She was preparing to demonstrate how to hold the bow and draw the arrow.
"Alright, students listen up!" she called, awaiting the students' attention. When the talking died down, she was finally able to continue with her demonstration.
"I'm only going to explain how to do this once, so make sure to pay attention. First thing to do is start off with your stance. Stand upright, with your left side toward the target, and your heels 12 inches apart in a straight line from the target. Grasp the bow with your left hand and pull the arrow with your right. Have the first three fingers hook unto the string, one above the arrow and two below. Hold the bow up with the arrow resting on the left side. Pull the cord until the head of the arrow touches the bow and your thumb reaches the corner of your mouth. Straighten your fingers to release the arrow, while at the same time turning your hand back up, but at the same time keeping your thumb at the corner of your mouth. Remember, do not move your left hand at all until your arrow is struck. Observe…"
Following her directions, Mrs. Harrison takes her stance, draws her bow, and releases her arrow. She makes a decent shot from 20 yards away from the target, managing to get the arrow to land in the white rim.
"Now that you've seen how it's done, I want you guys to break into groups of 3-5 people. They can be all girls, or all boys groups, or mixed," Mr. O'Grady explains. "Grab a bracer, a glove, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. As a warning, these arrows are sharp. If I see anyone playing with these in an inappropriate matter, I will send you to the principal's office, and there will be severe consequences."
"You will be practicing taking shots at targets from at least 10 yards away," Mrs. Harrison says as she points to the targets lined up at the other end. "Remember your stances and positions. I will come around and help if you need it."
The large crowd of students scrambled to get their equipment and broke up into smaller groups.
O~O~O
Ophelia's P.O.V
Our group consisted of the usual gang. All of us were there, except for one person.
Maddox was swept up by Penelope and her clique consisting of Heather Del Guardia, Abigail Jones, and Blair Fiorelli.
They are girls whom I know from the cheer squad, unfortunately. Most of them are your stereotypical cheerleaders- gorgeous, conniving, and just plain mean. They believe that they're above all.
I do not want to be put into the same category as them, which is why I don't associate with their kind.
Heather Del Guardia is the beta of the clique. She takes orders from Penelope and makes sure that the rest of them follow. Heather is a Hispanic beauty. She has an even, golden bronze complexion and has tight, dark brown curls. She has wide set honey brown eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows that compliment them.
Blair Fiorelli, is the shallow, narrow-minded, sheep. She just follows and obeys whatever Penelope or Heather tells her. She reminds me of a typical Barbie. She has long, straight light ashe blonde hair and a light beige skin tone. Her straight bangs frame her face nicely. Her turquoise, almond shaped eyes are very provocative and capture the boys' attention.
Abigail Jones moved in from another state about a couple of months ago. She seemed nice enough at first, but then Penelope and her friends got to her, saying that she'd be a "good addition." In my opinion, Abigail is a timeless, unique beauty. She has a dark espresso complexion and shoulder length, midnight black hair. Her face is poignant, having a straight nose and high cheekbones. Her down-turned, pure hazel eyes always seem to pierce right through me. Her personality is different from the others as well. She doesn't seem mean or shallow. She is actually quiet demeanor and I know for a fact that she is a bright student. I just hope that she realizes she doesn't need friends like Penelope, Heather, and Blair.
Penelope King is the alpha female of the clique. She walks around like she owns the school and the way she wraps herself around Maddox as if she owned him was getting on my nerves.
I was unaware that I was glaring at them. Billy and Lilly seemed to follow my gaze and saw what staring at.
"Uh, Phee, are you alright?" Lilly asks, her voice sounding concerned.
"Yeah, uh, I'm fine," I answer hastily, busying myself with putting on my bracer and glove. Out of the corner of my eye I see Val cock an eyebrow, obviously not buying what I said.
Billy let's out a wolfish whistle as he sees Maddox across the field, surrounded by the cheerleader clique.
"Boy, I sure am jealous of Ox right about now," he states. "It must be nice having cheerleading babes around."
'Ouch that hurts, what am I? Chopped liver or something?'
"Hellloooo!!! Remember me? I'm a cheerleader too," I remind him as I wave my hand in his face.
"Yeah but there's one of you," he reasons as he gestures towards me, "and there are four of them," he concludes, gesturing towards them. "Geez, Phee! I don't see why you can't be friends with them. I mean c'mon, don't you ever think of Val, T-Rex, and me? Think about it! You can introduce and we'd bring them along as dates. You can be so selfish sometimes. Man, I can see why Ox is so hung up on them."
I was beginning to fume and just as I was about to blow, Angie speaks up.
"Hey, guys…we're supposed to be practicing taking shots. If we don't look like we're busy, O'Grady or Harrison might split us up."
'Alright Phee, get it together. Ignore what that loser says. You can do it. Just ignore him and them. You'll be fine. Take a deep breathe and count to ten,' I tell myself.
"So who wants to go first?" Lilly asks no one in particular.
"Well if no one wants to go up first, then I will," Val volunteers. He steps up to the 10 yard mark where the rest of the students were lined make and makes a shot. It flies straight and true with incredible speed and strength, but it totally misses its mark.
There were others like him who managed to get the arrow to go a far enough distance. Then there're others who weren't so lucky or so skilled. Their arrows either fell a few feet away or landed at their feet.
It made my day to see that Billy was one of those people who had their arrow fall at their feet, attempting to make a shot. 'Good for him…'
Lilly's arrow comes just a few feet from the target. If she put a little bit more strength into it, her arrow might've hit bull's eye. I was surprised to see that little Angie, wasn't that bad of an archer. Her arrow managed to land on the outer red rim of the bull's eye. It was finally my turn.
Before making my shot, I turn my head to see if I had any competition. Luckily, for me there was none.
'Amateurs.'
I know I shouldn't be talking though because this is my first time learning archery like everybody else. But, for some reason I had a sense of confidence. It was like I was born to do this, the way my left hand held the bow so surely and my right hand pulled back on the arrow.
Before I decided to release, I saw Maddox take his shot. There was something different about the way he carried himself and the way he took the shot. It was the first time I saw him seem so sure of himself.
I see the arrow strike the target, literally a fingernail's width from hitting the bull's eye.
The girls squealed in delight, seeing how well Maddox made his shot. Heather was the first to try to get the teachers' attention to get the spotlight on their group.
"Oh, Mrs. Harrison, Mr. O'Grady! Yoo-hoo!! Take a look at Maddox's great shot. It was as if he was a professional, don't you agree?"
The teachers assess his shot and nod their head in approval.
"Good job, Sage," Mr. O'Grady compliments. "I didn't even know you had it in you!"
"Why aren't you a fast learner? Well, done Maddox." Mrs. Harrison praises.
'He's not the only capable one here…'
I take a careful aim and finally release my arrow. It whizzes through the air and lands at the upper hand corner of the bull's eye, almost kissing its red section. I lower my bow and stare in awe.
Lilly mimicked Heather's tone. "Oh, oh Mr. O'Grady, Mrs. Harrison! Over here! Ophelia made a really good shot too!" After she finishes, she gives Heather a mocking look. Heather sends her back an angry glare.
"Hmm, well isn't this quite the coincidence!" Mr. O'Grady states. "I have an idea. Why not we have a little bit of a friendly competition? What do you say, Sage? Queen?"
"Maddox is game," Penelope answers for him. She shoots me this candy-coated sugary smile as she wraps her arms around his neck.
"I'm game too…" I agree to the challenge.
'C'mon Maddox. Hit me with your best shot!'
O~O~O
Ophelia and Maddox took their marks at the 10 yard mark, ready to take their shot.
"Alright, we're going to make this quick and simple. Each student only gets three shots. Who ever gets the most points wins. If the arrow lands in the white outer ring, it's 5 pts. The red outer rim is 10 pts. and the inner white rim is 25 pts. Whoever hits the bull's eye, wins automatically, unless the opponent can shot bull's eye to match it. If that occurs, we'll have another sudden death round, where they only have one shot. The better shot wins," Mrs. Harrison explained.
"To determine who goes first, we're going to flip a coin," Mr. O'Grady says as he tosses the coin into the air. "Call, it!"
"Heads," Ophelia calls.
"Tails," Maddox calls already predicting the outcome.
Mr. O'Grady catches the coin and slaps it on his palm. "It's tails," he declares.
Maddox steps up, takes his stance, and shots his first arrow. He draws his second arrow and releases it. He pulls the final arrow and releases it just as quickly. His first two arrows land in the inner white rim. His final arrow landed on bull's eye.
"Sage earns 50 pts. and a bull's eye" Mr. O'Grady said aloud, informing the students on the competition. "Alright, Miss Queen, it's your turn."
Ophelia steps forward and readies herself. She takes her three shots with ease, almost seeming like she didn't need to aim. Her arrows land in the same areas as Maddox's, earning her the same amount of points.
"I guess we're going into our sudden death round," Mrs. Harrison concludes. "Remember, you each get only one arrow and whoever scores the highest off that arrow wins."
Maddox once again takes his stance and releases his arrow. The arrow soars through the air and hits the center of the bull's eye. Penelope and her clique squealed in delight and victory. "Oh-my-gosh, Maddie you won!" Penelope shouted in excitement.
Ophelia overheard them and was furious that Penelope just called him by the nickname his real friends call him.
'Did she just call him, Maddie?!'
Not trying to let that bother her, Ophelia resumes her archery stance and takes careful aim at the target. She pulls back at the string of the bow and releases the arrow. It cuts through the air. Her arrow splits Maddox's arrow in half and hits the bull's eye.
Everyone was shocked to see her amazing skill but ended up cheering for her as the victor. Just as Maddox was about to walk up to her to congratulate her, Blair pulls his arm back. "Hey, it doesn't matter that you didn't win," she says trying to console him.
"Yeah, you're still the man to us," Heather pipes up. "Don't you agree, Abby?"
Abigail was reluctant to answer at first, but after seeing the expecting looks from her friends' faces, she decided just to agree.
"Uh, thanks you guys, but I want to go over to Phee and congratulate her. Besides, I haven't been able to speak to her or any of my friends lately," Maddox says as he tries to pull away from Blair's grasp.
"You don't need Ophelia or the rest of them," Penelope states, putting her hands on her hips, expecting him to comply with her. "C'mon, let's get out of here. I'll take you out this afternoon, after cheer squad practice."
They walk away from the crowd of people surrounding Ophelia, pulling Maddox along with them. Ophelia sees them walking away over the tops of people's heads. She sees Penelope give Maddox a hug, which he returned. She gives him a kiss on the cheek and links her arms through his.
For some reason, witnessing this had hurt Ophelia.
'Way to go, Maddie. Nice shot, you hit me right where it hurts…'
O~O~O
The daughter of the Green Arrow vs. the son of Huntress, makes an interesting match don't you think?
Anyways, I've been a little busy lately. Writing these chapters has been a little difficult for me, so there will be probably some typos and stuff. So let me know what you think so far…
R&R plz!
A/N: I learned the technique of archery from this website-
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