A/N: …I understand if you all are in line with burning pitchforks and water balloons, ready to kill me for not updating for so long, but college has been such a hassle this term that I haven't had time to write, much less update. Please forgive me, and enjoy this theme. I apologize profusely once more to you, my loyal reviewers, for letting this go un-updated for so long…

"…": characters talking to each other

'…': characters talking to themselves

(…): extra facts about something in the story

(Takes place after Theme 5)

Theme 6: Competition

AP European History Class, Briarwood High School, November 19, 2006, 10:00 AM – Briarwood, CA, USA

"Now class, I have the results of your tests from yesterday… I must say that I am highly disappointed with these grades… you have obviously not been studying…" lectured Mrs. Hunsinger, head of the history department at Briarwood High School and the meanest teacher in the school. The rangers, all of whom were situated at the back of the classroom, rolled their eyes at each other and silently wished that a monster would attack, allowing the school to evacuate and setting them free.

Mrs. Hunsinger began handing back the tests, stopping to slam the ruler she carried with her everywhere on Leelee's desk, causing her to shoot straight up in shock. Vida snickered, hiding a smile behind her hand. She watched with pleasure as Mrs. Hunsinger began to yell at Leelee, telling her that if she caught the girl sleeping in her class one more time then detention would be on her planner for a week, everyday after school for two weeks. Leelee pouted, and when she got back the test, she gasped and proceeded to throw the paper on the floor, an action that earned her a glare from the teacher.

Xander looked up from where he had been doodling in his notebook, bored to death, and saw Nick and Madison exchanging smiles and looks from where they sat next to each other. Xander frowned; when he compared himself to the competition there was in the school for potential boyfriend candidates he was seriously lacking behind. He hadn't had a date for at least two months due to the need to practice his magic and fighting moves; a decision that he was starting to regret as it cut into his reputation with the women. Xander watched his teacher for a moment, then looked down at his notebook and noticed that a small ball of crumbled-up paper lay on top of his doodle of the Titan Megazord. Looking around to make sure no one, especially Mrs. Hunsinger, was looking his way he opened up and saw a message scrawled there in Vida's messy handwriting.

Xander read the message, which said, "What do ya think you got on the test, Xander? Vida." Xander looked beside him and just behind Chip, where Vida sat, her eyes looking at him, watching to see what he would do. Xander grinned and taking his pen scribbled a reply and, making sure the teacher – whom he and the other rangers referred to as a Hidiac in disguise – didn't see him tossed the ball of paper back to Vida, looking straight ahead and he frowned on noticing that the teacher was getting closer to the back corner.

Vida took apart the paper, and when she saw Xander's message, "I think I did pretty well; better than you, at any rate. You?" she frowned, knowing that he had purposely written his message the way he did to irritate her… and it was working. Vida took up her pen and wrote back to him, making sure that her reply was scathing at best.

"Who are you to think that you did better than me, Xander the Great? The competition between us is over; it's obvious that I'm going to do better than you did so get off your high horse and come back to present reality, if you would be so kind."

"I see… play-it-cool Vida thinks she did better than me, hmm? Guess again. Competition rules state that Xander will always do better than Vida on any test, no matter the subject area. So, for the near future, try and remember the simple fact that I will always be better than you."

"Think again; your competition rules are flawed because they were made up by you! Therefore, you are cheating. Besides, remember just last week when I beat you on that math test, hmm? Don'cha think that maybe your rules suck when I have proof that I can beat you on a test?"

"Doesn't count; I was sick for the review day therefore I missed a lot of the material while you, oh Miss-Perfect Attendance, got to hear everything. Therefore, competition rules state that if Xander is absent on a review day then the test doesn't count; understand?"

"Yeah, I understand; I understand that you're an arrogant guy who can only think of winning and not what comes of playing fairly. That is one thing you'll never learn."

Xander was just about to write a retort for Vida to read when a hand snatched the piece of paper from his desk and brought it up to the tanned face of Mrs. Hunsinger, who didn't appear to be happy.

"What do we have here? It seems to me that you two miscreants are bored with my class and have chosen to practice stealth in an attempt to occupy your petty minds… very amusing but I have to do my duty as a respectable teacher and give this note to the principal. I'm sure he'll be very interested to know of this… competition that is going on between you. Follow me." Mrs. Hunsinger waved the note in front of Xander's face and shot a glare at Vida, whom she had never liked, and motioned them to follow her.

Xander and Vida got up, got their books, and followed her out, amused looks on their faces. Chip, Nick, and Madison watched this with the same look on their faces and once Mrs. Hunsinger had left the room, Xander and Vida trailing her, Chip turned to Nick and Madison and said, "Looks like their competition's gotten them in trouble; again."

Madison rolled her eyes and leaning so that her head rested on her arms replied, "When doesn't it, Chip? I mean, when we do our "homework" they compete to see who can learn it the fastest and get yelled at by our "tutors" and get punished; here it's no different."

"Except," Nick added, leaning back in his chair, "that the teacher here is much uglier than our "tutors", right?" On getting nods from both Chip and Madison Nick grinned and thought, 'One of these days Xander and Vida's competition is either going to get them in a shit-load of trouble or is going to help them in some unknown way.'

The class didn't continue that day, as Xander and Vida were at the principal's office for the rest of period, along with Mrs. Hunsinger, who was told that besides the note-passing Xander and Vida hadn't done anything wrong. After all, wasn't the teacher supposed to encourage healthy competition among her students? Xander and Vida did get detention that afternoon and after the detention, when they were sure no eyes were watching them, they gave each other high-fives, both happy that their competition had gotten them out of another boring day of European history.