Butch roves over to Bubbles, who sits near Boomer while Midori opts for a desk and stares out of the windows.
"Midori, right?" Butch probes once he draws near the red head girl.
"Yeah. Butch, right?" Midori inquires in the same fashion as he did to her.
"I couldn't help but overhear you say that you met someone by the name of Drake Pierce. Did I get any of that wrong?" He interrogates her.
She fires him a weird expression on her face after she listens to his question.
'I wonder why he would ask me about that guy?' The red head contemplates once he speaks up again.
"Did he have long brown hair with the top part spiky and the rest was in a ponytail and had green eyes?" Butch starts his interrogation on Midori.
"Yeah…he had three ear piercing, rings on his fingers, a chain dangling from his hips, dog tags around his neck and a weird smiley face on his shirt." Midori fills in the rest of Butch's description of Drake.
'What's he doing out this early?! Did Midori catch his eye?' He ponders after she confirms a physical description on Drake.
"Since you asked for my cooperation, I want to know the answer to one of my questions?" Midori quickly grills him.
He mentally gears himself up for the possibility of her asking him how did he know Drake but something else came out instead.
She critically eyes him to see if he was going to lie when she asks him, "Do you really like Buttercup?"
'So is that all she wanted to know? Well that's an easy question to answer.' He thinks to himself in relief.
"It's true that I like her. But when you have Bell as your personal stalker, things tend to get a little strain. So if it seems as if I'm ignoring her that's far from the truth." Butch expresses with confidence in his tone.
"Bubbles, do you think you can go get Buttercup?" Mr. Matura requests when he watches Bubbles move from her seat.
"How about I go get Buttercup? You're having such a good time with Boomer." Butch offers just when she was about to exit the classroom.
She conveys an expression of understanding before she inquires to the raven hair boy, "It's fine. Do you know where she is?"
His mind reels back to the conversation between Buttercup and Mr. Matura
"Yeah, you're right. Just be safe when you are up there. People tend to get a little crazy around this time."
"I have a good guess where she could be. I'm sure she will come down with no problems at all." Butch reassures Bubbles, who slightly hesitates in letting him go in her stead.
"It's fine by me! You're willingly to take it upon yourself." Bubbles agrees as a motion that she permits him to retrieve her sister.
"Thanks Bubbles, I owe you one." He thanks the blonde haired girl before he enters in the hallway.
4444
"The sky feels so much closer up here." Buttercup mutters to herself. She rests the back of her head againsts her intertwine hands while she views the sky.
The teen rotates on her side and observes her blonde companion in a similar position, except she faces her.
"I see you still come up here to sulk Butter?" She pops the questions.
Buttercup replies with a "humph" as a smirk stretches on her face and lips, "You're one to talk Tia. Why are you invading my personal space then?"
The blonde's green eyes narrow in on Buttercup's eyes and mentions, "I see your eyes has changed from the last time I saw them."
Buttercup gapes at her before the blonde returns her sights back to the sky.
"I would have been highly upset if they didn't change. Besides, it seems as if you're interested in another individual. May I ask who it is?"
Buttercup ignores the question when she shifts her focus to the sky and hears Tia revels, "Ah come on Butter, was that a blush that I just saw?"
"No, it was not! Leave me alone Tia." Buttercup retorts with a snort of irritation.
"It's about time that I depart. You have a very handsome visitor coming up, see you later Buttercup." The image of Tia vanished just as soon as she appeared.
"So you let Flash run you up to your little secret hiding spot? I must say high places seem to fit you Butter." Butch's voice quips when she observes his head peek over the ledge.
'Why does it always have to be you?' She broods while she rolls in the opposite direction away from him.
"I thought I asked Bubbles to come and get me. Not you?" Buttercup demanded in an irritated tone with her back toward Butch.
"She was having such a good time with Boomer! I didn't want to ruin that special moment between them." He explains his reason as to why he was up here instead of Bubbles.
She merely props her torso forward with her one hand and stretches a tense muscle in her right arm.
"Oh well then...I can't be too choosy with who comes and get me." She mumbles as she rise to her feet and dusts herself with her hands.
"What were you doing up here anyway?" Butch wonders not moving down the ladder that connects to the roof. She then strolls over to him.
"I was visiting an old friend so can you please go down now." Buttercup retorts while she rolls her eyes at Butch's annoying actions toward her.
"Since you gave me a honest answer, I think I can comply with that." He negotiates before she forces him down the steps with her foot.
"I swear you can be so annoying at times." Buttercup states.
She slides down the ladder after Butch steps back and lands on the roof's first level of the school.
Butch wears a smile on his face when his response wa "I happen to think that's one of my best qualities about me. Wouldn't you agree with me Butter?"
She did not supply an answer to his question and instead leads the way back to their homeroom class.
4444
The Sophomore classes traveled outside pass the Track and Soccer field until they neared a fenced area.
"Good afternoon, second years! It's great to see you all here today! As you were informed earlier today in homeroom, the activity is Street Hockey and that it will be held outside. The stage has already been set up and is ready for you."
"The setup for today will be a six game match up with the final game being the championship. Since Ms. Omiya class won yesterday events, they will have a bye to the second round along with Mr. Matura class, who will be on the opposite side of the bracket."
"So we won't be playing Bell until the championship…" Buttercup mumbles to herself after she listens to Principal Zeal publicizes to them.
"That works out in our favor. If we were on the same side as them then it would be a cake walk once we defeat them." Butch whispers to her after he overhears what she said.
"Why are you listening to me speaking to myself? That's why it is called self reflection." She retorts with a small grin on her face.
He chuckles at the girl, who was poise at his side when he interjects his opinion. "Well if you stop broadcasting your thoughts out loud then it would be called a self reflection then."
"It seems as if I interrupted a lovers squabble." Midori humors as she stands in front of the pair with a smile present on her face.
"We aren't having a lovers squabble." The two simultaneously declare in unison.
They fire her a scary expression that display her death in the near future if she continues to tease the two.
"Would you look at that over there?" She alleges while she points in a random direction.
The red head quickly inched away from them after being snapped on by the raven head duo.
Bubbles examines Midori's face that displays a look as if she had seen a ghost or some other supernatural phenomenon, which prompts her to ask her, "Are you alright Midori?"
She pauses to see Bubbles with an expression of concern on her face and verbalizes, "I just saw my precious short life flash before my very own eyes."
"What?" The blonde inquires before she watches her face eases as a smile soon appears on her face.
"Thanks for the ear and the shoulder Bubbles! I appreciate that." Midori abruptly thanks her friend while she wipes away some fake tears from her eyes with her index finger.
Bubbles prolongs her stare on Midori with a confuse expression on her face, 'I wonder what has gotten into her?'
"Are you excited for the match?" She hears when she faces Boomer, along with his brother Brick, make their way over to where she stands.
"Yeah, you can say that I am." Bubbles answers with a grin on her face, which Boomer gladly returns.
Butch, Buttercup, and Midori soon convene with the rest of the group when they overhear Buttercup proclaims, "If it gives me a chance to feed Bell's face full of asphalt then I'm pumped!"
"You have a of lot energy today Buttercup." Bubbles mentions after she witnesses her sister's anticipation for the rematch against Bell.
The groups converse amongst each other for a couple of minutes before Mr. Matura motions them over to his location.
"Alright class! They instructed us to utilize this time to inform you all about the positions, rules and regulations plus the safety equipment that will be used in today's activity."
"As you can see in this crate," Mr. Matura starts off when one of his hands rest on a large flat plastic container with a red top.
"Each team rooster can carry a maximum of sixteen players with six members in play. The positions are as followed: 3 Forwards, 2 Defensemen, and 1 Goalie. I will break down those positions later on."
"These hockey sticks are made especially for Street Hockey. There will be a plastic punk instead of a no bounce ball."
"The gear for forwards, defensemen and goalies are different. Forwards and Defensemen are going to wear elbow, knee and shin pads. Also, a mouth guard, a protective cup and an approved protective helmet, which is convenitenly labeled with forwards and defensemen. Goalies will wear: a helmet with a face mask, chest protector, blocker, catch glove, goalie shin pins and a protective or padded cup."
"The duration of the games will run for three 15-minute periods. The clock will have a running time, which means the clock will continue to run even if a play stops. There's a three to five minute break between each period. We will only have two time outs that last for one entire minute. Make sure you all listen for the ref's whistle and immediately cease all actions."
"Does everyone understand or do I have to break it down further?" Mr. Matura probes the group when he halts in reading the rules of the game.
"We understand Mr. Matura. We will play for three 15 minute periods, the clock will continue to run even if the play stops. There will be a three to five minute break between the periods with only two timeouts that last for a minute." Buttercup sums up with her arms across her chest.
"Okay then. I'm going to discuss the positions a little more, I'll start with the three forwards: a center, right and left wing."
"They'll play on the same line with each another and can be interchangeable if the play calls for it. When it is over, you have to return to your regular position. The center usually leads the forward line, sets up plays for their teammates to score the goal and engages in most of the face-offs. The right and left wing play their respective side."
"For the defenders, they usually play behind the forward line in order to keep the ball in play on the opposing zone. There are right and left defenders like the forwards, who cover their respective areas and are interchangeable as well and remain close to the goal."
"Last but not least is the goalie, they ultimately prevent the other team from scoring. They can kick, catch, grab or bat it out of the way just as long as they don't let it go past the goal line."
"So does everyone understand the positions and their jobs?" He posed to the group again before he earned a unified yes from his students.
"The start of every play is called a face-off. There are three types of face-offs: standard, stick-to-stick and in-bounding."
"Standard is when two players stand with their sticks one foot apart on the ground and wait for the referee to drop the puck. Stick-to-Stick is when the two centers face each other with sticks on the ground with the puck in between them and then tap the ground then your opponents stick in this pattern: ground-stick, ground-stick, ground-stick then launch for the puck."
"In-Bounding is when the puck goes out-of-bounds, the last team to touch it loses possession. Players on the defending team must then stand at least ten feet from the spot where the puck went out-of-bounds then the inbounding team puts the puck back into play. The inbounding player must make a pass before a shot on the goal is taken."
"You can always stop the play. In order to do that, the puck has to go out of bounds or when a penalty or infraction is called. The ref blows the whistle, which means the entire play comes to a stop. If you knock the puck into your opponent's goal with anything other then your stick or if you fall on the puck to stop the play, unless you are the goalie, then the play automatically stops."
"Penalties consist of high sticking or if you carry your stick above your waist then you will be immediately sat down for the duration of the play. Body checks are illegal, which means you can't use your body to force another player into a wall, barrier or out-of-bounds."
"Did you just hear that Buttercup?" Mr. Matura directs to the raven head girl when he breaks away from the clipboard.
"No fair man! I thought I could get away with that." Buttercup utters, which prompts her classmates to laugh at her opinion.
"You can't interfere with another player who do not have the puck (Blocking). You can't run, jump or fling yourself in to the opponent (Checking). You can't throw up your elbows (Elbowing), or strike or slash at an opponent with your stick (Slashing), or jab an opponent with the end of the shaft of your stick (Butt ending)."
"You can't knock your opponent feet out from underneath them with your feet nor use your stick (Tripping). You can't interfere with your opponent progress with your hands (Holding) or stick (Hooking). If you hold your stick with both hands and slam the shaft of it in to your opponent that is crosschecking. Finally, there is absolutely no fighting in the game."
Mr. Matura drops the clipboard on the ground and scopes out his students for the third time and speaks, "The principal just threw this in, it will be girls versus girls and boys versus boys. If there ever is a boy present on the court whenever there is a six-on-six girl team present then that entire team will be automatically disqualified from the tournament."
His students grew silence after they processed the seriousness in their homeroom teacher's voice.
"Sign me up!" Buttercup proclaims as she leads the rally for her class.
Mr. Matura along with the non-participants and the other Sophomore homeroom teachers begin to issue out the equipment.
"I so totally wish Bloss was here right now." Buttercup assersts while she straps a pair of shinguards around the front of her shins and the back of her calf.
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Author's Note:
07.26.16 Major editing revision