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Gym Battles
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The next few hours were going to be the end of life as they knew it—according to Ally.
"Seriously, I don't think you understand what I'm saying to you; having both McAllister and the Snob Queen in one class is going to be a total disaster!"
The two girls had just opened the door to the gym to find Cathy and her snob squad standing off to one side of the basketball court, already dressed in the Academy's uniform gym attire consisting of grey t-shirts and black shorts.
Abruptly, Ally grabbed Melanie by the arm before they could be spotted and wrenched the girl backwards into the hallway and out of sight. "Best not make yourself known until it's absolutely necessary." She explained. "Otherwise it'd be suicide." Ally seemed insistent on that.
If there wasn't already a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, Melanie would probably have smiled at Ally's obvious discomfort. It was such a different side to Ally, perhaps a sillier, more laid back version of herself—but it didn't stay for long because, like a bipolar schizophrenic, Ally Marks reverted back to her old cranky self soon afterwards, when they went to changed into their boring uniforms in the girl's locker room and headed into the gym for class.
Their gym teacher stood in the center of the room, hands on his hips with a grumpy look on his big face. "Alright you kids, get your scrawny selves over here so I can tell you what we're going to be doing today." Coach Selmer was in his fifties, balding, and a bit on the pudgy side. However, despite this observation, he came across as someone who didn't mess around.
Once everyone was present, he started splitting people up. "I am going to assign the teams. Cathy and Melanie, you two will be the team captains. Now get to your respective sides." He barked, giving them no room for argument; what coach says goes, apparently.
Cathy sent Melanie her threatening Trademark Sneer, as if saying: 'You're going down.'
"I really hope I'm on your team, or else I think I'm gonna be on a murdering rampage and possibly kill my own teammates," Ally whispered hoarsely to Melanie just before she went to stand on her side of the gym. Miss Bipolar's wishes were granted when the coach sent her to Melanie's side.
However, Ally's relief period was short-lived when Coach brought over a new, insufferable addition to their team, and the relaxed expression on her face drastically changed quickly to disgust at the boy sauntering over to them. She cursed loudly. "Great. The universe is definitely against me."
Chase McAllister leisurely and confidently—both at the same time—strode up to them with a huge smirk on his lips. "Well, hello ladies! Don't look so happy, Marks. You're lucky I'm gonna be on your team."
Ally blinked at him. "Lucky? Yeah, right." She scoffed, turning her face away in disgust towards Melanie. "We're not going to survive this class, I hope you know that. Might as well say your peace now before we get creamed by Miss Queen 'B' over there."
Melanie instantly regretted looking over at the opposite side of the gym. Cathy's arms were crossed as she posed confidently where she stood, sending a deadly smirk their way. The queasy feeling that had settled in her stomach earlier turned into a bad one. Ally was right; this was not going to end well.
"Quit being such a pessimist, Miss Debby Downer. Where's your sense of adventure go, Marks?"
"It flew out the window along with your pea-sized brain, so quit annoying me, McAllister." Ally spat. She pointedly ignored him as she turned her whole body away so she didn't have to look at him.762Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUkR5D34FM
It was a very childlike thing to do.
Melanie could tell this was going to be one Hell of a game—pun fully intended.
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"What the Hell—what was THAT?" Ally stomped right up to Chase, almost foaming at the mouth because she was so angry she was practically livid. "That was the second time you screwed up, McAllister. Do you really want to be beaten to a pulp by yours truly?"
Melanie's team had lost tragically yet again. Cathy's team was brutal and downright scary, using intimidation tactics and brute force to get every single one of Melanie's players out a handful at a time. The left side of Melanie's face still stung from where a ball had hit her, thrown from one of Cathy's boy-toys. Unfortunately in this particular game of Dodgeball, there wasn't a rule where face shots were an automatic out for the person who threw them, so everyone on Melanie's team were getting injured from a lot of well-placed throws from the opposite team. Ally had gotten hit in the gut by Cathy herself during the second game; who knew Miss High-and-Mighty could throw like a guy?
Melanie's team was also weak and uncoordinated. They weren't working cohesively as a team, and therefore, they were getting destroyed by the opposing team.
Rubbing at her temples to try and ease her growing headache, Melanie sighed, butting into the bickering feud before it could escalate. "Guys, now isn't the time to be doing this. Listen to me... If we really want to win, YOU two have to set aside your differences for right now. We need to be able to work together to defeat Cathy. The only way to do that is to come up with a strategy—together—to win. So PLEASE, keep your quarrels outside of class."
Ally did a double-take, giving her new roommate a confused, incredulous look as if she didn't know who this girl was. "Mel, I know you're new here and all, but you have to understand that what you're asking is downright impossible."
Chase nodded in agreement, though a little begrudgingly. "I hate to say this, but Witch Girl is right. We're like oil and water; we're bound to bring around the next World War Three if we have to be in the same room together—let alone on the same team."
Melanie sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she had originally thought.
Ally stared at the girl standing in front of her, seeing her in a different light. Where was the timid emo-girl who shrank away at the slightest hint of confrontation? "What's with the newfound courage, Miss Lionheart? Do you have a braver twin I don't know about?"
Melanie's face flushed but she pressed on, ignoring the strange look she was receiving from her hot-headed roommate. "I'm just saying. It will make winning a lot easier if we worked together to show Cathy she can't push us around, that we're not just annoying nobodies that don't belong in the same room as her deeply inflated ego."
With her arms folded, Ally regarded her roomie with something along the lines of awe and admiration. "Alright, Oh Wise One, I'll give it a try—but I can't promise that I won't try and rip McAllister's head off if he acts like his usual stupid self." She ignored the glare said boy sent her way as she kept her golden brown gaze fixed on Melanie.
Nodding, she turned to the Flame Wielder with the attitude to match his affinity. "Chase?"
After a few moments, he let out a heaving sigh. "Fine! I can't promise anything either, but I guess I can try."
Satisfied with their responses, Melanie smiled and nodded once more, then walked away to join the rest of her little team standing by the wall of the gym. "Alright team, let's huddle up!"
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After a short pep-talk, their team once again lined up to start the next round. It seemed to be going better in the beginning, at least nobody was getting out nearly as often as before, but Cathy's team still seemed to have the upper hand. That needed to change, Melanie knew.
They needed to step up their game.
"Should we get the main idiots out of the way first? James and Eddie are the ones who have been getting us out the most." Ally suggested, her mouth twisted in a candid expression of disgust. She had set her avenging sights on one of the annoying maggots in particular. James Grant was a constantly moving target, making it hard for any of her missiles to hit him.
She was just about to launch another dodgeball when a yellow one came hurdling at lightning speeds from a different direction, hitting the guy right on his right shin. Letting loose a few unmentionable choice words, James stalked off to the side to join his other teammates who had already been thrown out.
Ally rounded on the culprit who had taken the shot. "I had him, McAllister! Quit stealing my kills!" She seethed.
"You're welcome, Marks. Just glad to help." Chase hollered back casually as he lobbed another ball. As if he had done nothing wrong.
[A/N: See gif in MEDIA at the Top!! ^^^]762Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqmOTn0Di9
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Grunting her frustrations, Ally whirled away from him and began throwing the balls harder at the opposing team, one after the other, like a storm unleashed. She had managed to hit a handful of Cathy's girls, all in a row. Fortunately for Chase, she had found an alternative outlet to vent her anger on for the time being.
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Out of sheer luck and spiteful determination, Melanie's team managed to gain the upper hand—only after a few of her own players made game-changing hits that threw many of Cathy's star team members out of the game—until it left only Cathy and one of her female cronies standing on the other side.
"How does losing feel for a change, Cathy?" Ally taunted with a satisfied sneer. She gripped a green dodgeball in her hands as she stood next to Melanie and a few other teammates, ready to throw out her arch nemesis and win the game.
Cathy grew enraged by this sudden turn of events, gritting her pearly white teeth as she glared at them. "You're SO going to regret this, Marks. Mark my words." Her searing gaze swept over Chase and Melanie before turning back to Ally. "All three of you had better remember that."
"Your high-and-mighty intimidation tactics don't work on me. Looks like someone needs a lesson in humility—and who's in desperate need of a reality check. The whole world doesn't revolve around you, your Hiney." Ally spat back, unaffected by the Queen B's threats.
"Just wait until everyone hears that we humiliated you in gym class. Put you in your place." Chase remarked, emitting a dark chuckle that sent a slight shiver down Melanie's spine. The quiet brunette was awfully glad he was currently on her side.
Cathy made an undignified noise in her throat and crossed her arms in front of her. "You'll regret that, too. All of you. Or—"
"Or you'll do what, your Highness?" Ally interrupted, taking a step closer towards the center of the gym—and one step closer to her intended target. "Are you gonna go tattle to Mommy and Daddy on us? Why don't you grow a pair and learn to fight your own battles for once. Nobody likes tattle-tales, Honeycomb."
That struck a nerve with the girl. Clenching her fists until her knuckles turned a ghastly white, Cathy opened her mouth to make another retort when it happened; a blur of green shot forwards and Cathrine Honeycomb was pelted in the side of the head with a green dodgeball...one that Ally was no longer holding in her hand.
Without hesitation, and way before Cathy could think to react, Chase rushed forwards and pelted his own ball over the middle line with all his might to hit the last remaining opponent, ending the game.
Melanie's team erupted into cheers of jubilation and utter relief in the next moment, immediately congratulating each other on a job well done with high-fives, group hugs, and heavy pats on the back.
Melanie just stood there, smiling when realization fully hit her. Ally had purposefully used Cathrine's anger to her advantage, and as a result, they had WON.
Ally, for once, looked remarkably smug over the victory. "We did it! We actually managed to beat those suckers at their own game. This is fücking awesome!!"
Choosing to ignore that very unladylike exclamation, Melanie grinned and walked up to her. "See what happens when one puts aside their differences and are civil to each other? Things get done."
Ally rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever... This was a one time thing so don't get your hopes up, Ghost Girl. I still hate you, McAllister!" She hollered over at Chase, who was getting congratulated by a few guys only a yard away.
"And I still love annoying you, Marks!" He quipped right back, grinning from ear to ear.
Melanie sighed out loud and shook her head. Some things may never change.
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