The wrestling team was quiet after hours of traveling across the country and then competing in the tournament. Whatever energy they'd stored had long since been used. Therefore, Triple H wasn't surprised by how quiet the luxury travel bus was. Most of the eleven students had settled for the long journey back home, spread out around the bus, minding their own business. The wrestling coach was at the front of the bus, close to the doors, his laptop on the table as he took the time to catch up on forgotten paperwork and read the emails regarding what had been labeled the "intervention." A sigh escaped him as he remembered he'd yet to do the same with the eleven students in his company, although he, like Michelle, Vicki, and Stephanie, knew they didn't have anything to do with the drama. Instead, like others, they'd been caught in the middle between Serenity and her desires, namely Roman.
Hunter soon looked up from his laptop, sighing once more before deciding to check on the group of eleven. The students he was proud of, despite their differences at the moment they, had continued to work together and once again ensure victory for All Star Academy, cementing their spot in the tournament finals. The Bella twins were the first pair he'd come across, occupying one of the table seats. Nikki was continuing her tradition of writing in her journal, and Brie was doing something on her phone. The row behind in the normal seats were Punk and AJ. The latter had long since fallen asleep, her head on Punk's shoulder. Punk appeared to be watching YouTube videos, slowly dozing while looking over to AJ occasionally with softness.
Further back on more of the tabled seats were Aleister, Finn, and Damian, who all seemed to be minding their own business. Aleister and Finn wrapped in conversation while Damian read one of the books he'd brought alone; every now and again, he'd glance over to Rhea and Echo at the tabled seats across from them. The two girls didn't notice; Rhea seemed content watching the darkened scenery go past, and Echo appeared to be watching something.
Just behind the Darklings on either end of the aisle were Seth and Dean in single seats. Dean seemed happy enough reading and sending text messages; there was little doubt in Hunter's mind someone was keeping him updated on what had taken place during the day, perhaps a little teasing, too. Seth, on the other hand, glanced around every now and again but mainly listened to music and continued to read the comic book he'd brought with him.
"Dean," whispered Hunter so as not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere to have fallen over the bus or draw too much attention. When the shaggy-haired teen looked up, the wrestling coach motioned for him to follow. Silently, they walked back to Hunter's tabled seat at the front of the bus. Suddenly unsure how to start the conversation, Hunter waited until Dean had gotten himself comfy, using the few seconds to think of something. "You know about the intervention back at the school today?" asked Hunter, his words shakey as he tried to find the right ones.
"Yeah, Ney updated me on everything and Serenity's latest attempt at drama," replied the shaggy-haired teen known as the Lunatic. A shiver rattled down his spine as he recalled the message from Renee detailing everything Serenity had done that day and the fallout for it. He'd already come to realize the shaky ground between Summer and Roman was now on the verge of collapsing, especially with Serenity's "revelation," if you could call it that. It was clear no one knew if the mousy-haired drama queen was telling the truth or if she'd just blurted out the first thing she thought of to gain Roman's attention.
"Then you know from tomorrow, both groups will be separated as much as possible," spoke Hunter, knowing the precautions had been put in place just in case things broke down worse than they already had. "Michelle recommended continuing to allow you all access to the empty room she put you in before. But I need to know if you think everyone is ready to be back together again or if you need more time," he added, deciding it was best to get the opinions of those there before any permanent decisions were made. Most would say Summer and Roman were best kept apart. However, he was still determining if the same was said for Seth and Echo.
"You mean Seth and Echo, right?" asked Dean, his attention on Hunter, who nodded before he glanced in the direction the pair in question could be found. "They are working on it slowly. At the moment, they're in that awkward stage, working up to talking things through but not quite there yet. If you're going to throw them into a room to sort things out, then you should put Becky in there as well," he added, knowing Seth was still trying to work through his confusing feelings. He loved Echo; anyone could see it, but it was also clear there was something there for Becky, too. "Give E a few more days. She's been through a lot, but she's almost there," finished Dean, seeing Hunter nod as if to gesture he understood.
Toward the back of the bus, Nikki and Brie were engaged in a phone call with some of the others back home. The phone was on loudspeaker now. AJ had since woken up and moved with Punk to sit with the Bella's. Seth and the Darklings had also moved around a little. Finn had switched places with Rhea, and Seth had joined the trio; at some point, a competition had started between the four. It had started with a few rounds of tic tac toe before moving on to tumb wars and squares. Eventually, it ended up with a long game of Monopoly.
Finn, however, had engaged in a Star Wars conversation with Echo; both had a love for the franchise. At some point, their conversation resulted in Echo booting up the Disney app on her phone and watching the Clone Wars together.
"I forgot they're both Star Wars nerds," commented Rhea at some point during the game of Monopoly; she'd peaked over to Finn and Echo, even more so upon realizing they'd both gone quiet. "Still, ze Prince is worse. Does the stormtrooper pose every time"
"And here I thought I was the worst with the quotes, humming songs, and random facts," replied Echo, laughter followed shortly after. Finn was at her side, sticking his tongue out at Rhea as she repeated his action in kind.
"Yeah, but when you do it, it's kinda cute. When Finn does, it's annoying," called Aleister. Seth at his side choked on his water at the sudden turn of conversation.
"You only say that because you live with her," retorted Finn. "The rest of us can escape her wrath by going home," he added, quickly dodging the playful whack Echo threw in his direction, repeating his earlier action and sticking his tongue out at her.
"Playtime over," called Punk from his spot with the Bella twins, "To your separate corners," he added, receiving only chuckles.
"Looks like Miz got some competition to for papa of the group," commented AJ from Punk's side, seeing the horror pass over Punk's features and hearing Seth laugh, as well as Nikki and Brie. Miz's voice from the phone commenting the challenge was accepted.
"That's a terrifying thought," spoke Dean upon rejoining the group near the back, hearing Punk yell oi in response, acting offended by the words spoken.
"Not as terrifying as Damo's Undertaker obsession," replied Rhea, quickly dodging from her seat and hiding behind Finn on the opposite side of the aisle. "You know I love you, Damo," she sweetly added shortly after, only receiving an uh-huh in response.
"Damn it," commented Nikki upon receiving Carmella's message informing her Becky knew of their plan to throw her, Seth, Echo, and Damian into a room. "Wait, when you guys add our Archer to the plan?" she asked, her dark eyes suddenly going bold upon realizing she'd said her words out loud rather than writing them in a text to Carmella.
"Anyone else curious about that plan?" asked Seth, Damian only looking behind with confusion written across his features, even more so when he was unaware of being involved in any plan. Echo soon agreed, with Finn and Rhea following along shortly after. Aleister, on the other hand, grinned mischievously as if already aware of it or helping with it in another way. Dean, on the other hand, remained quiet but with an expression of innocence written across his features.
"Aleister," called Echo, suspecting there was more involved than just Damian. Rhea, too, suspected the same and quickly pulled out her phone to text Dom to see what he knew. If anything, at all. "What's the plan? Who else does it involve?" she asked, her curiosity being piqued more when the devil began to chuckle to himself as if he could imagine the plan coming together and the havoc it could cause.
"Please tell me it's not what I think it is," called Dean from the table he shared with Echo, Rhea, and Finn; his attention, however, was on those towards the front. Brie grinned innocently in response, that being enough to confirm Dean's fear. "Don't; it could do more harm than good, especially at the moment," he added, recalling when Renee had briefly mentioned it before.
"Care to share?" asked Finn when Dean turned back to the group, quickly finding all the attention with the exception of Aleister was him. "Either of you?" he asked with concern flooding his voice.
"Why lock us in a room?" asked Echo, passing her phone over to the duo of Damian and Seth upon receiving a message from Becky explaining everything. The message didn't do anything to lift Damian's confusion or settle the growing concern appearing in Seth's eyes.
"I'm still trying to work out how I fit into all of this," added Damian, hearing Summer's voice over the phone quoting Miz, with her simple response ofreally.Suggesting he did know but didn't want to admit anything in the presence of the others.
"It's official, I'm avoiding all unlocked empty classrooms," commented Seth, determined to make things difficult for those involved in the plan to see it through. "Cross, I'm hiring you for guard duty," he added, receiving a round of chuckles from the hyperactive Scottish teenager on the phone.
"You do that, I'll practice my glare to keep them at bay and torment Aleister," laughed Echo,
"Come on," replied Aleister, pretending he was going to hide in the tight space under the table. "I have Cross, and I'm not afraid to use her," he added shortly after, only receiving a few chuckles and Echo raising her eyebrow.
"Rhea, I'm borrowing Dom and JD. Help me avoid the empty rooms," commented the Archer of Infamy, seeing the look Rhea sent in his direction as if she was considering helping those with the plan.
"Looks like they turned Rhea to the light." voiced Finn, "Wait, how come I escaped the whole locked-in-a-room plan?" he asked, a wave of curiosity washing over him.
"To our knowledge, you don't have unresolved issues with anyone but Roman or have a crush on someone that's driving the rest of us insane," replied Brie, as if she'd been prepared for the inevitable and the question being asked.
"Looks like you kept that hidden better than you thought," commented Aleister, his mischievous grin growing more cheeky as he glanced around the group surrounding him and the four now looking over the back of the chairs just in front. "Y'all didn't know about his crush; it's adorable when he manages to shut up about it."
"What are you on about?" called Finn, eyeing Aleister with suspicion.
"You have a crush on someone and didn't tell us," called AJ, "Details. Spill. Now," she added shortly after. Not seeing the relief wash over Damian and Seth's features upon the attention being taken away from them and their love life, although both felt for the Irish teen now in the spotlight.
"Oh, you mean the one on A.T., right?" questioned Rhea, a ring of laughter escaping her after, even more so upon seeing the mixture of confusion and intrigue from those surrounding her. "Or was it the other one he nicknamed Sun Shimmer," she added when Aleister shook his head at the first answer.
"If that is true, it would be too sweet," calmly commented Dean, catching on but not teasing, other than quoting one of Finn's catchphrases. Finn, by now, had all but sunken under the table, wishing only to hide from the attention on his love life. He hadn't thought about dating again. The idea hadn't even crossed his mind.
"I hate you two right now," called Finn from his spot, looking up upon hearing fatherly chuckles. At some point, Hunter had moved closer; by his reaction, it was evidently clear he'd heard most, if not all, the conversation. "Rhea, I'm recruiting Miz and Maryse to plan an especially pink and frilly Valentine's date for you and Dom," he threatened, dodging the kick Rhea threw in his direction in response.
"Is it against school rules to murder someone?" questioned Rhea, looking back to Hunter. At first, he seemed a little confused as he'd been replying to an email from Stephanie and Michelle, but he soon caught the gist of the question.
"Afraid to say it's against the law, let alone the school rules," he replied shortly after. "Echo can give the best advice on disguising torment, though."
"Hey, I'm in the help Finn boat," replied Echo with a cheeky grin. "I was thinking of adding sparkles to the pink and frills," she added, quickly pulling her legs up from beneath the table to prevent being kicked. The two girls soon engaged in a small slapsy fight before laughing at each other.
"Nikki, if you don't mind ending the call, I've been tasked with completing the intervention involving you lot," spoke Hunter; by now, his tone had turned serious. Rightly, he'd gained the attention of the eleven students from the wrestling team. Nikki did as asked without question, saying a quick goodbye and promising to catch up with everyone at school the following day. After which, her attention was placed solely on Hunter, as was that of everyone else around her.
"For a while now, Stephanie has been monitoring the constant trouble Serenity and several others seem intent on coursing; she's noticed it's always against or somehow involves some of you. She got Shane, Vicki, Michelle, and Me together, and we planned what she called an intervention. Where we find out what caused the ongoing mess and how everyone fits into it, with the recent social media drama as well, we think it best to keep the two groups apart, at least until the tension is diffused enough we can be sure nothing will blow up," explained Hunter, seeing the confusion some of them displayed, at least showing some didn't know about everything.
"Social media drama?" asked Seth, his bafflement clearly on display. Once again, Echo passed her phone over to him upon loading her own. Seth scrolled through, his anger growing as he did. He quickly understood why he didn't know about it, as most of the attacks had been aimed at the Darklings surrounding him and Summer. Somehow, he found he wasn't surprised to learn Roman was once again involved in the mess, as it was normal for the mousy-haired girl to pull her obsession into everything.
"What's gonna happen with Roman?" asked Dean, looking at Hunter. "He's under suspicion, isn't he?" he stated, recalling questioning his own thoughts about his once best friend; although he would agree and say Serenity was obsessed and probably crazy, he at least had some faith she wouldn't have reached the point she was in without Roman doing something to encourage it.
"Some of us do suspect Roman has something to do with it. But I can gather some of you also knew that," replied Hunter, observing the group of teenagers carefully, making a note of their reactions. How neither Dean nor Seth seemed surprised by suspicion falling on Roman, neither did Brie or Punk. AJ appeared as if pieces of her jigsaw had been found, helping to build a clearer picture, whereas Nikki appeared in denial as if she didn't want to believe what was being suggested. Finn seemed more angry once again, displaying his unresolved issues with the Samoan teen, whereas the rest of the Darklings didn't particularly seem phased, or at least outwardly, they didn't.
"What else don't we know?" questioned Nikki, correctly theorizing there was more they were being kept in the dark about. For a few seconds, Hunter looked unsure before masking his uncertainty, putting aside his own feelings on the matter and instead thinking of those before him. How unfair it was to keep them in the dark and shielded from what went on around them.
"Shane raised the alarm regarding Roman potentially encouraging Serenity. If he's right, then the pregnancy claim Serenity made today may hold some truth," replied Hunter, unable to tell the group before him the truth regarding Roman leaving the wrestling team. He hadn't done it because the attention-seeking brunette had told him to; he'd done it for himself and to prove a point he was quickly realizing was wrong, just as he couldn't bring himself to share his own theory regarding the breakups and Roman playing a game with all of them.
"If we're in separate rooms during breaks, lunch, and study time, where's Roman gonna be?" asked Brie, voicing the question few others had the confidence to think of, let alone word. "What about Seth, Echo, Becky, and Finn?" she asked, still unsure how they would react around each other in a bigger setting than the video calls.
"Me and Bex are fine, Brie Mode; I don't have any ill feelings toward Seth either," replied Finn, putting Brie's mind at ease regarding the anger he held. "I only have unresolved issues with Roman, mainly over his part in everything and his refusal to acknowledge it, let alone apologize," explained the Irish teen.
"You'll only get awkwardness from me and Demon, too," added Seth, Echo nodding in confirmation from across the aisle.
"Three, maybe four doses of awkwardness; this is getting juicy," spoke Aleister, jumping slightly when Damian kicked his shin. "I can't help being so invested in all of this. I wanna know how its gonna end, I'm begging for a happy ending" he added as if it was a soap opera rather than his school life and that of his friends.
"Roman will be in the spare room across from Stephanie, as will Serenity, Daniel, Eva, Kaitlyn, Jinder, and Bobby," started Hunter after regaining his composure. "The rest of them apart of the group that seen sense will be in a computer room on the IT floor," he added, giving details on the plan to split the popular bunch up, especially now when it had come to light not all had been involved with Serenity's constantly plans of terror. Most had walked away following Brie's departure from the group. "The classroom Michelle found for you last year will be your area. Additionally, the Darklings keep their access cards to the NXT Hall."
"What happens after?" asked Rhea, trusting her gut feeling and guessing keeping the two groups separated wasn't the end. Although she at least found some hope, not all of Brie's old friends were as bad as they initially appeared; some had sense and listened to it.
"Stephanie will ask for your phones tomorrow so she can go through them. An investigation will happen via the board of directors after that, and then any consequences and punishments will be given. An email was sent to your parents informing them of all of this," replied Hunter, knowing Stephanie had put emphasis on not disturbing the students' routine or keeping it to a minimum, especially when their important exams were coming up. She was determined normality had to be retained, even if that meant making their investigation longer.