I do not own the Boy/Girl Battle Series.


Caroline POV:

"Excuse me, Cali, I hate to ask," Beth shouted. I looked at her confused. "Do you have time for one more song?" The barn filled with cheers.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Go do what you need to do," Beth said, turning away. The barn filled with cheers, louder now.

"Ok, you asked for it!" Beth turned around again, a wide grin on her face.

"what are we doing?" I ask, my voice amplified across the barn. I shut my mouth pretty quickly and look around in horror.

Song: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond

My jaw drops when I hear the beat. No, I think.

Beth: Where it began/ I can't begin to know when/But then I know it's growin' strong/Was in the spring/And spring became the summer/Who'd have believe you'd come along?

Harley: Hands/Touchin' hands/Reachin' out/ Touching me, touchin' you

"Harley!" I shout, not caring that everyone can hear me.

All(minus Caro): Sweet Caroline

"Bum bum bum!" Filled the barn. I looked at the Hatfords. They looked confused but still joined in. I turn to run back stage but Lily and Lana stop me.

All:Good times never seemed so good/ I've been inclined

"Bum Bum bum!"

Eddie: To believe they never would/But now I look at the night/And it don't seem so lonely/We fill it up with only two

Logan:And when I hurt/Hurtin' runs off my shoulders/How can I hurt when holdin' you?

James:Warm/Touchin' warm/Reachin' out/Touchin' me, touchin' you

Wally POV:

All: Sweet Caroline

"Bum bum bum!" I yell along with everyone else, enjoying the look of horror on Caroline's face. She was as red as a tomato.

All: Good times never seemed so good/I've been inclined/To believe they never would, oh, no, no/Sweet Caroline/Good times never seemed so good/Sweet Caroline/I believe they never could/Sweet Caroline

As soon as the song ended, Caroline bolted off the stage.

"Good night, Cali! Thanks for being here!" Beth shouted. "Now we should probably go check on our sister." Everyone started to laugh, but Beth shook her head seriously.

"Like, actually," she said, and ran offstage.

As people started to file out of the barn, Mrs. Lasheè led us to the back. A woman with white hair in a pixie cut approached her and gave her a big hug.

"Once again, it was wonderful, Kathy," Mrs. Lasheè said.

"Thank you again for the help with the choreography and your daughters," the woman said.

"Sure, Kathy. I'd do anything for Jean and George's girls." Mrs. Lasheè said. She turned to us.

"Kathy, do you remember when George took them to West Virginia for that year?" Mrs. Lasheè asked the woman.

"Of course I do," Kathy bluntly said. "I was pissed at him for weeks." I resisted the urge to look at the Bensons, something Jake didn't do.

"Those are people from there who say they knew the girls and their parents." Mr. Lasheè said.

The woman looked at us quizically.

"Who are you?" She looked directly at us boys. As we introduced ourselves, the woman's face filled with recognition. She turned to Mrs. Lasheè and told her something we couldn't hear.

"I know more about you four than..." the woman trailed off.

"Steve said, "We've only known them for a week, honestly." The woman shrugged and turned around. By this time, everyone else had filed out of the barn."

"Come here, Eddie, and bring your sisters!" she hollered.

Eddie, Beth, Caroline, and the four girls we met earlier ran up from backstage.

"Hey, 'Ma," Eddie said, walking up behind the woman. As soon as she saw us, Eddie stopped dead. "Oh."

"Hiya!" Jake said enthusiastically. He had a giant smirk on. I saw Beth throw her arm at the girl with green eyes, who ducked and dodged the playful punch.

"Still can't believe you didn't bother to tell us!" Beth said to the girl. The girl shrieked and ran away, around the barn, with Beth instantly chasing her.

" Bethany Sue! " The woman shouted.

"Camilla Carlina!" Mrs. Lasheè shouted at the same time. Instead of pronouncing the L's in Camilla, it came out like a Y sound.

Both girls looked up at their guardians and shamefully walked back. Eddie was trying not to laugh and Caroline was giggling. I noticed behind the girls, their cousins were strolling in.

"Girls, you will be the death of me," the girls' grandmother said.

"Sorry 'Ma." The Malloys said.

"We saw you guys during Girls Round Here." Beth said. I look over at Jake and Josh, who shared a look of confusion. I roll my eyes.

"I saw." I say cheekily. I quickly received glares from all around. I saw Caroline bite back a smirk.

"Ah, I'm sad we didn't do our acrobatics." Beth whined, a devious look in her eyes.

"Because Eddie's dropped you more times than I can count!" Kathy said.

"We'll be careful! I promise!" Beth shouted. She grabbed Eddie and ran away.

"Back up," Caroline said, smirking. The four Lasheè girls backed up with her.

"Could use some help with the hoops, please!" Eddie calls from the rafters. Caroline and the other four girls bolt up to help them.

Kathy shook her head. "They've been practicing this flip every day after school. I keep telling them no because Eddie is struggling to catch Beth."

"You did promise them that they'd be able to do the song if they get this." Mrs. Lasheè said.

"How is she struggling? Catching a person shouldn't be that hard." Jake stated matter-of-factly.

"Wait and see, boy," Kathy said. All of a sudden, Eddie was being lowered from the ceiling, hanging by her legs, upside down, from a hoop attached to a rope.

"Is she ready?" Beth asks quietly. We don't hear a response, but then Beth is lowered in a similar hoop, sitting down in it.

Beth counts down with her fingers, places her hands on the bottom of the hoop, falls back, her legs swinging through the hoop, and then she lets go, does a single flip in the air, and reaches for Eddie. Eddie, who's been upside down for a bit, reaches out for her sister, but barely touches her.

Beth shrieks and starts to fall, down, down, down. I feel Josh tense up behind me. He takes one step forward, and then Beth has fallen onto a mattress.

One of the boys from earlier shouts up, "You couldn't wait for your spotters? She's lucky Harley found the mattress in time."

"Gee, Logan, thanks. Its not like you weren't right there that you could've caught her." Eddie hollers back. The boy, Logan, just shrugs.

"Sit up, Eddie! You're going to fall from iron deficiency!" Another boy says.

"James, I'm not sure if that's how it works, but okay!" Caroline shouts. Beth has gotten up and is sneaking back up.

"Hey, be careful up there!" a boy no older than 13 shouts. That must be Harley, I think.

Beth is brought up, via the hoop she started the flip from. She did the whole thing again, from the countdown to the flip. Eddie was a little quicker this time and managed to catch Beth and then toss her to the hoop behind them, which Beth then caught with one arm.

"We did it!" Beth cheered. Eddie laughed as the two girls were lowered down.

"Now you'll have to do it multiple more times correctly for Gram to let you do it!" James laughed.

Eddie pushed him. "Shut up James!"

"Would you folks like to join us for dinner?" Kathy asked.


Jake POV:

As we are walking to Eddie's house, I fell into step with her.

"So," I say, trying to start conversation. "What was that song about burning pictures for?"

Eddie grumbled and rolled her eyes.

"It's an entire thing." She started, obviously disliking the story. "A friend of mine asked me out today and I rejected him because I'd only ever seen him as a friend for quite literally 15 years and now that entire friendship is down the drain." I could feel the jealousy rising in me, but I did my best to conceal it.

"He even told me that he never wanted to see me ever again and then shows up to the performance. Like, ugh! Amiright?" She grinned at me, waiting for a response.

"Uh, ye, yeah. That, that sounds pretty annoying." I stammer out, unable to think of a better response. Eddie laughed, and I felt myself relax in the sound. I started to laugh with her, something that my 11-year-old self would be appalled to see. Me, laughing with Eddie Malloy? It wouldn't have happened.

"Guys are the worst." Eddie complained, looking up.

"Hey!" I say, a little bit offended. I raise my hands in protest.

"I think I can still lump you in that group, Jake Hatford." She replied.

"That's not very nice now, Eddie." I say in return, a nice easy banter flowing between us.

"Oh boo, hoo." She rolls her eyes, but they still have that glint in them, showing she's just kidding. Beth comes up a gives Eddie a look, then continues to walk. I couldn't help but notice that Eddie's face seemed a bit more red than usual. It didn't really register until after that night.