At the toll of the school bell, two things occurred: the energy in the gymnasium amplified since students were ready to head home and signaled the end of yet another successful Sports Festival.
'I think it's about time that I leave too.' Serena considers to herself. She was just about to blend in with the crowd of students when she unexpectedly feels resistance at her elbow.
'What the…' The young woman inwardly thinks before she sharply rotates her head in the direction of the resistance only to see that the appendage belongs to none other than Alma Zeal.
The orange haired woman immediately releases her breath at the sight of the tall man, who merely wears a smile on his face.
"I almost killed you, you know." The brown eyed woman solemnly asserts once he releases his hold from around her elbow.
The same smile was still present on his face when he confidently says, "That's a risk, I'm willing to take."
The woman merely shakes her head at his response before he speaks again, "Are you busy tonight?"
Serena provides him a simple answer of "No, I don't think so."
"How about I treat you to dinner as a thank you for helping with the Sports Festival?" Alma smoothly suggests a date to the woman.
"Oh and do all of your parents get this kind of preferential treatment?" The brown eyed woman inquisitively questions as she tucks her arms underneath her chest.
A hearty chuckle escapes from his mouth at the question before he retorts, "No, it's only one that I really like."
A smile unintentionally materializes on her face at his witty comeback, which earns "Pick me up at 7" before she walks away from the man.
Meanwhile,
"Hey," Midori yells over the horde of students before she eventually approaches Buttercup, her sister, Butch, his brother and Drake.
"Mr. Matura says he wants to treat the class to a victory meal." She reveals as she adjusts the strap of her bookbag.
"Really," Boomer shockingly says while Bubbles gleefully asserts, "Aw, that's awfully sweet of him!"
"Since when did Mr. Matura have the funds to do that?" Buttercup sharply challenges until she feels a hand on her shoulder.
"And you ask too many questions when free food is involved, little Buttercup." Butch jokingly admonishes her.
"He wants us to meet here at 5." The ginger girl discloses the time that they all need to arrive at the restaurant.
"Yo Drake," The raven haired girl suddenly shouts over her shoulder to the brunette, who then diverts his sights in their direction.
"Do I need to pick Midori up or will you drop her off?" She poses with a serious expression on her face when she asks her question.
A bright blush surfaces to her face for the second time today when she overhears his remark, "I will gladly drop the princess off at her location."
Midori peeks up at the right time to see Bubbles lips about to move when she points at her and declares, "Don't you even think about it Bubbles."
"He's like your knight in shining armor." The light green eyed young woman chimes in with a smirk on her face once her sights land on her.
"Ugh," The ginger hair girl grumbles as she dramatically throws her hands up in the air and storms over to Drake's car with a frown on her face.
"I didn't know you believe in fairytales, Butter?" The raven haired boy purposely implies since he finds it slightly odd that Buttercup would even mention anything like a knight in shining armor.
She shrugs her shoulders while she honestly admits, "A girl can have dreams, can't she?"
At the same time,
Blossom casually strolls down the hallway toward the exit after she briefly stops at her locker to pick up some items.
"Hey Blossom, slow down will you!" Flash calls out for the orange haired female once he spots and catches up to her in the hallway.
She advances one step ahead before she stops in her tracks, releases a deep sigh, and asserts, "What do you want Flash?!"
'Good, I got her to stop.' He happily notes after he stands right in front of her with his hands inside of his Varsity jacket.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your victory today." The blonde speaks up unaware of her tone or the expression on her face.
"You were absolutely amazing out there! I always knew my girlfriend had both beauty and brains. Man, am I lucky to have you or what?!" The blue eyed young man eagerly rambles in a confident tone.
The young woman merely narrows her sights in on the blonde while being the utmost careful not to fire a laser beam at his perfectly symmetrical face.
"I think you've been using the word girlfriend a little too often around me lately." Blossom boldly declares, which slightly catches Flash off guard.
His face displays confusion from her comment when he reminds her, "I can do that because we are dating Blossom."
"How many times do I have to tell you that we were never dating?! Blackmailing someone to be your girlfriend isn't dating." She irritably expresses her fustration.
'Wait what?! The blonde was capable of blackmailing someone like Blossom?' Brick contemplates in shock as he continues to listen in on the couple's conversation.
"Blackmail," The blonde repeats one word from her statement.
"Yes, blackmail as in to force or coerce into a particular action." The orange haired girl breaks down the literal definition of blackmail for him.
"I was too afraid that you would release the tape about my sister killing Bell at her pool party, the fact that Brick is a thug and a part of some violent street gang." The pink eyed young woman admitted her honest feelings as to why she even agreed to the deal in the first point.
"But guess what? I don't care anymore! I will no longer continue to bow my head, turn a blind eye or listen to you or Bell." Blossom adamantly affirms as she roughly and repeatedly jabs her index finger in to his chest.
"The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." She firmly recites as she swiftly rotates away from the blonde before she promptly dismisses him, "Good day, Flash."
'Now you really done it Flash...you just severed the last lifeline you had.' Bell concludes about the incident.
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Bubbles constantly searches for her sister, who eventually emerges from within the school. She waits until she draws closer to the group to pose, "Bloss, guess what?"
"What?"
"Mr. Matura is treating us to a victory meal tonight!" The blonde cheerfully divulges the good news to her sister.
"Since when did Mr. Matura have the funds to do that?" She challenges once she reaches the passenger side of the green Camaro.
"See…see what I mean." Buttercup confidently remarks as she slides in to her driver's seat while her sisters naturally follow suit.
"You've proven your point, Butter." Butch annoying confirms while he leans away from her window and now leans against the orange Mustang.
"I know I did." She confidently retorts to him right before she cranks up her car in order to warm up her engine.
"Well Midori and fellas see you tonight. See you later Drake." The raven haired girl mentions as her sisters exchange their own form of salutation with the group before she backs out of her parking space.
"We should be on our way too." Brick suggests as he opens up the passenger door so Boomer can slide in the back.
"See you two lovebirds later." The raven haired boy teases Drake and Midori as he mimics Buttercup's previous action and drives away from the schoolyard.
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"I'm home!' Serena announces her arrival once she enters inside of her home and locks the door behind her.
She places her house keys on the kitchen island when she assumes, 'I guess those three haven't made it home yet.'
The orange haired woman carefully maneuvers through her apartment until she eventually reaches her personal bedroom and ambles over to her closet.
'What to wear?' The brown eyed woman repeatedly asks herself while she sifts through her closet. She soon starts to pick out some pieces that catches her eyes.
The sound of the front door opens and closes along with the sound of teenagers' voice fill the apartment.
'I guess I can go ahead and congratulate them on their victory today.' Serena decides as she lays the clothes out on her bed.
Boomer, Brick and Butch plop down on the couch and love seat in the living room when they hear the sound of applause.
"Congrats on your win today," She congratulates the trio with a wide smile present on her face after she ceases her round of applause.
"Ah…it was nothing." The raven haired boy downplays as he waves his guardian off with one of his hands.
"Nothing, you guys handled that Chariot race as if you all were in the midst of combat! And trust me, I've seen my fair share of war."
"Oh goodie, another war story," The orange haired boy sarcastically mutters before he receives a slap in the back of the head. "Anyway, do you three have plans today?"
"Our teacher is treating the class to a victory meal." The blonde provides an answer to her question.
"Wait, your homeroom teacher's name is Mr. Matura?" The older woman abruptly probes for clarification once she recalls from being at the school earlier.
"Yeah, just like we figured out that you were our Radio Referee, which by the way helped Blossom's plan." Brick reveals with a smirk on his face
'I should've known it was Blossom's plan.' The brown eyed woman considers before she replies with "Why I was just doing my job?"
"Are you doing anything tonight?" Butch curiously poses to the older one out of the four, which earns him a sharp quip, "If I am it is none of your business, besides you three should start getting ready since it almost five."
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"Professor...we're home!" Bubbles happily announces once she and her sisters enter inside of their white cube shape house.
"I'm in the lab!" He shouts loud enough for the girls to hear his voice along with a "clink" from the beakers.
"Welp, the Prof is here." Buttercup dryly grumbles as she hooks her key on the key holder on the door.
Bubbles made a move for her room, which caught Blossom's attention, "Let me guess, you have to look nice for tonight."
"Don't I always darling?" The blonde girl jokingly revels with a flip of her wrist when an idea pops to her head. "Can I pick out your outfits?"
"Go ahead," Blossom consents when Buttercup feels their gaze hone in on her, "Alright...alright, just keep it to what I like."
Bubbles cheerfully claps her hands together and hops up and down from excitement. She then speedily takes off to their respective closets to pick out their outfits.
"Are you sure we should have allowed her to do that?" The raven haired teen questioned after they witnessed their siste's reaction.
The orange haired girl releases a sigh before she admits, "I don't think we would've had much of a choice anyway."
Buttercup shakes her head as a sign that she agrees with her sister, "You're right about that."
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"Hope you have a good time tonight with your classmates." Drake genuinely wishes once he motors and parks his car right next to the curb.
"So where will you be going for the time being?" Midori curiously wonders after she secures her purse from the front of the passenger seat.
"Nowhere in particular…probably just ride around the city." He replies with a shrug of his shoulders as she removes herself from the car.
"Just be careful, okay?" She states while she slings the strap of her Cross body purse on her left shoulder.
"Alas is the beautiful princess worried about her knight?" The brunette jokingly inquires after he notes the tone of concern in her voice.
The green eyed teen realizes that her face remains stern, which prompts him to add, "The knight will return back in to the princess arms by tomorrow night."
Midori nods her head as she straightens to her original height, waves at the car until it disappears from her sights, and rotates around to see Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.
"Aw...such puppy love!" Bubbles gleefully gushes with a lovey dovey expression on her face after she teases the red head.
She visibly pouts at the blonde when she outwardly grumbles, "How come you two are always around whenever Drake pulls up?"
"Eh?! You got that all the way twisted, Midori. It's more like he comes around whenever we are around, don't you think Bubbles?" Buttercup renders her opinion about the situation at hand.
"Mhm," Bubbles eagerly agrees prior to Blossom's comment, "Looks like we made it here just on time, there's Mr. Matura."
"Whoa, wait a minute is that really our dorky homeroom teacher that teaches History at Pokey Oaks High?" Midori dramatically exclaims once they spot Mr. Matura enters inside of the restaurant.
"Yep, that's him alright." Buttercup confirms the identity as none other than Mr. Matura.
"It's kind of weird to see him in regular clothes." Blossom regards when she realizes that he was not clothe in his professional attire.
"Not to mention, he actually has some fashion sense." Bubbles genuinely discloses after she studies the outfit he decides to wear for the occasion.
The raven haired teen's stomach loudly growls at it owner for being empty, which prompts her to order, "Less talking and more walking."
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"This place is really nice." Serena compliments the restaurant's decor while she absorbs her new surroundings around them.
"I'm glad you like it." Alma voices as he reaches out for the black cover to collect his card, stands to his feet, rounds the table and helps his date to her feet.
The pair soon exits the restaurant just as the valet motors his black luxury vehicle along the curb. The valet then holds the door open for the lady while the purple haired male slides in to the driver's side.
He overhears his date compliments him, "I knew you were good but I didn't know you had every single student in your school respect and admiration."
"Honestly, those are two of my proudest accomplishments in life so far: my students' respect and to witness them graduate." Alma honestly divulges as he pulls out of the restaurant.
"Spoken like a true educator." The orange haired woman comments based off of his response.
"Why thank you." He accepts the compliment from the brown eyed woman in the passenger seat.
"I noticed that some of the students took quite a strong liking to you." The purple haired man suddenly implies, which earns the response of "Oh no, those were just my dependents".
"I saw a couple of students besides them engaged in conversations with you." He reveals with his focus on the road when he includes, "I was thoroughly surprised to see the Utonium sisters candidly chat with you. Do you know anything about them?"
'Professor Utonium, their dad, unknowingly created possible weapons of mass destruction.'
'How about the fact that they were used as weapons capable of being able to eliminate several city blocks if they ever lost control of their manic mode?'
'Oh and better yet, how about whose three dependents are madly in love with but only one of them, the baby, had the balls to admit their feelings.' She wanted to voice to him instead it came out like, "Nope, it was the first time that I met them. I guess I just have a trusting face."
"Besides, how did you know that sunflowers are my favorite flowers?" The orange haired woman deliberately redirects the topic of their conversation.
He executes a right hand turn when he vividly recalls, "My dad had a yard full at the front by the gate. You would always stop and stare at them before someone called your name from the front door."
A small blush surfaces on her face at the memory when she gently mutters, "You actually remembered that?"
A wide smile stretches across his face after he overhears her comment. The purple haired man signals to turn in to her apartment complex parking lot.
"It wasn't often that a beautiful young girl had the courage to approach the Zeal residency." Alma honestly confesses as he drives until they pull directly in front of her building.
"I see your dad's charismatic nature rubbed off on you." The brown eyed woman teases him as she releases the seatbelt that binds her to the seat.
He extends his arm out until his hand connects with the side of her cheek and directs her sights toward him.
"If I hadn't stepped in then my dad would've been the one to enjoy this moment…instead of me." The purple haired affirms before he leans in and gently presses his lips against hers.
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Bell hears then feels her phone vibrates in her white Prada tote bag as she patiently waits in her car.
'I wonder who would even think to call me now.' She ponders as she flips the silver latch to open the purse, digs her hand inside, produces her cellphone and checks the callerID.
"What do you want Flash?" Bell irritably questions the caller on the other end without so much as a "hello".
"I need to talk to you." The boy name, Flash, replies to the question.
"About what?"
"It's about Blossom."
'This might be interesting…I guess I could entertain him for a little while as I wait.' She considers to herself when she admits, "I'm listening."
"She has gone rouge."
"Blossom no longer feels threatened by our proposition. She said she will no longer agree to our deal for the sake of her family."
"Flash…what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. She snapped when I said my girlfriend. She even claimed that we weren't even dating."
Bell releases a sigh when she feels herself on the verge of a headache as she thinks, 'Ugh, I can't take this anymore!'
"Flash, I will call you back later." She lies as she clicks the red button when she overhears him say, "Don't hang up on me."
The sound of her car door opens and closes when she hears a voice remarks, "You look like your precious cat just died."
"That I can handle, but an ignorant jockey whose ego is the size of this planet now that really grinds my gears." Bell sharply asserts to the voice.
"You don't have to worry about that anymore." The voice firmly conveys, which prompts her to conclude, 'Good…now all I have to do is do away with Flash and phase two is a go.'
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Mr. Matura checks his watch, realizes what time it is, and captures his students' sights when he voices, "Ah would you look at the time,"
"Everyone, I hope you enjoyed your meal today and our victory in the Sports Festival." He happily broadcasts with a wide smile on his face.
"Thank your Mr. Matura!" The students unanimously jeer at the comment as they collect their respective items to head home.
"Alright now, get on home safely…"
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Author's Note:
04.05.17 Major editing revisions