"Rivalries" As it was with most schools, there were many rivalries among the students of Stanton. Some were romantic, others political, academic, social, artistic, and especially sporting. Hundreds of volumes could've been written about the countless number of romantic rivalries carrying on underneath the teacher's noses, some fueled by passion or jealousy, and even though the political arena was controlled mostly by Usha and Mira, that did not mean that many contenders sought their crowns—or even that they themselves did not fight for complete power, though Mira was noticeably slipping (due to, no surprise, apathy and procrastination). More interesting battles were elsewhere, in the gym or the classroom, and some went outside school boundaries, while others were located solely in the mind of the individual. Some would think that a girl's school wouldn't need cheerleaders, but there were some that insisted on them, particularly for the proud soccer team, which would make its debut in late February. The winter's chill prohibited outdoor practice, so for those interested, they would have to go indoors, to the gym, which currently did not have a proprietor. It was assumed that Leena would take responsibility for any extracurricular sports team once she returned, but a volunteer was found to both fill in for her and assume the role fully once the young woman returned. Her name and history were unimportant in the scope of rivalry. Her students were what made the tale interesting, as characters are prone to do. Naturally, since a cheerleading squad was forming again, people just assumed that one Janine Bautista would sign up and probably take the head spot. Janine did enlist, but for fun and not personal gain, and it would give her an excuse to exercise old skills again. Her rival was a young girl named Mihoshi Kogure, whom most people called Yuki. Now Yuki was already infamous for her strange habit of spewing Bushido mantras and challenging other girls, usually those she liked, to duels. But few knew that she had the potential to be a cheerleader, even though she had been excellent at it in her old school (this also had led to the realization of her sexual identity; she once had a crush on a fellow cheerleader but kept silent about it). Yuki's few real friends encouraged her to go for it, and she assumed, not without some pride, that she could make top seed easily. Janine didn't care two cents who made it. She also didn't care much for Yuki's attitude when they met at practice... "Yuki, right?" Mihoshi nodded as her would-be rival approached her. Both girls were the same age, and nearly the same height and build too, except Janine was slightly shorter and heavier. The difference really wasn't noticeable (unless one looked at their faces and lineage, of course), so it was possible that the two would be friends. But Yuki knew of Janine through Olivia, her girlfriend, and knew that the other girl had experience. She smiled, more polite than happy. "Yes, that is correct, and you are Janine-san? We finally meet. Liv-chan has told me much about you." "Liv-chan? Oh, you mean Olivia. Yeah, I heard she finally got a girlfriend. I swear, she's even more sexually ambiguous than m...uh, never mind, forget it. So are you here to try out?" "Yes!" she exclaimed. "And I will win the top spot. If you are here as well, then you must be my rival. I will do my very best to become better than you and win the top spot. If I do not do my best, I shall insult myself and everyone else!" "Um...all right." Janine gave her a weird look and walked around, meeting all the new people. Honestly, if Yuki didn't have a girlfriend, she might've challenged poor Janine to a duel as well. Who better to pose as a potential lover than a current rival? Only rivals, she knew, could bring out the very best in her. Olivia was more of a mental rival (or in her case, a superior); Yuki wished that she would be pushed physically by the dark-skinned girl. Oh well. Time enough for that later. The teacher was late. Janine had went full circle, and was now socializing with the people she knew, most of whom she considered friends. Yuki, feeling kind of like a blowfish ready to brandish their quills, strolled over to the shorter girl, bowed politely, and asked for a moment of her time. "Honored Janine-dono," she said, "perhaps you do not quite grasp the situation you are in. I think we are going to become very fierce rivals once try-outs start, and I shall not surrender to you until I win or collapse in defeat. I've heard how excellent you can be, but I assure you, I shall not simply hand over this title!" "I really don't know what you're talking about," Bautista said. "Look, I don't fly with this whole rivalry thing. In my opinion it's stupid. I say, if you work hard enough, you earn your reward. I really don't care who gets to be head cheerleader, since I'm just doing this for fun and nostalgia." "But I am your rival; you should care." "Look, if you want to continue this charade, be my guest. I'll just pretend I care to make you feel happy, and because you're Olivia's girlfriend. But really, don't get so worked up about it—and I'm not your only competition." "But you are my strongest competitor, no?" "Probably not," she shrugged. "I'd say half these girls have some good skills, most of whom may be better than I am. Don't sweat it so much." "How can you be so careless?" Janine couldn't help but smile at how cute Mihoshi got when she was concerned. The pale white-haired Japanese girl was far too serious, and Olivia, bless her, wasn't helping at all. "It's not something that major. I'm more worried about, oh, my wardrobe, or how the weather will affect us, and how many hours I'll get at my job this week. You should just have fun, okay?" She smiled brightly and walked away, actually having the "nerve" to wish Yuki good luck. Poor Kogure-chan didn't take kindly to such hospitality. "Ooohhh...! Janine-san! You have just made a mistake! I shall make you regret feeling so carelessly over such an important thing! Life must be played seriously for one to survive and grow stronger!" "If that's your belief, then run with it," called Bautista with a wave. Yuki knitted her brows in anger, yet her heart still went thump-thump, and her eyes, unnaturally red, glistened with respect and perhaps even love. The other girls stared at her for her outburst, but no matter—Yuki had far greater things to concentrate on. She stretched until the teacher came, and prepared to give everything she had, both to prove herself and shake Janine out of her apathy. Avelina was moderately surprised as Ms. Cerio's math class gathered for an after-school study session. Again, June sat away from her! Being skilled with numbers as she was, Avelina usually had a large crowd of people around her during the study sessions, particularly Aintzane, who was her total opposite when it came to math. Aside from a few people who were proficient, Avelina had nearly the entire class circled around her, a real halo of inquisitive bodies—but not June Tramble, oh no. She was off by herself, at the usual table without chairs, breezing through the problems. Probably because she was shooting for valedictorian, like Avelina was. "She's your rival," Alisha explained to her. "Everyone needs rivals. Love'm or hate'm, they're a necessary part of life. For example, Nomi over there, my ex," she pointed, "has several when it comes to music, most notably Rai Zanders. I swear, those two... Of course, they usually collaborate or cooperate more than they, uh, fight, but you can see it." "What do you mean?" "She means," said Nomi, "that Rai and I are friendly competitors. We try and outdo each other in terms of music. She's admitted to me several times that I play the better guitar, but when you want all-around genius—oh, excuse me, I forgot you don't like that word. Well anyway, she's definitely a prodigy. But we're not enemies." "I didn't say you were, honey," Alisha said; "just rivals." "You make it sound like it's the same thing." "Oh, sometimes. I'm of course another one of her rivals, and one of Rai's. But you should see us when we work together. We're like the Three Tenors." "Only much hotter," noted Ivory. "And way cooler." Alisha snickered. "Yeah, definitely." "Could we please get back on track?" said Avelina, quite exasperated. "I really need to concentrate, and most of you can't afford the distractions." "Maybe we should just ask June-bug over there for help," pointed Zane. Avelina shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me." "In that case..." A few girls up and left, but June warded them all off, and even wheeled away to a more secluded area of the library. Zane and her crew of deserters came back in a sour mood, slumped down, and resumed their study. "You got ditched," noted Erica. "That is what happens. You shouldn't be such fair-weather friends." "It's all right," Avelina told her. "They can do as they wish. I'm only helping those people that want it, after all." "Oh, we want it!" exclaimed Zane desperately, trying to smile. She nudged Vai and purred, "Right Vai-chan?" "W-whatever..." Amina left the study group thirty minutes later, confident that she could blow through another month of Miss Cerio's grueling tests and not lag behind. Avelina was sweet by donating her time to tutor everybody, and it gave her an extra chance to be with Nomi. Ah, Nomi...now there was a confusing part of her life. Nomi, the one person that understood her, that seriously liked her, who challenged and befriended her when no one else would! In a sense, she was like a rival, but Corona Marcos was a far greater adversary. The two were not friends, but they did compete passionately in Mrs. Keys' class. Amina was actually afraid of Corona, for two reasons. One, she believed that Marcos was infinitely superior to her in terms of artistic talent, and two, she had Furious Hail as a girlfriend (this second fear was currently unfounded). While Amina was a distinguished sketcher, Corona was more of a Jill-of-all-trades, making all sorts of portraits, paintings, pottery, and other projects. A few people starting harkening her to Picasso (Corona naturally denied it, though she liked the attention), whereas Amina was more of a Hokusai. And poor Amina, lacking self-confidence, allowed them to believe it, and her work suffered. Nomi tried encouraging her, but it was little use. "We really have to do something," she told her friend one frosty late January afternoon. "You can't compare yourself to people like this! If you keep on thinking that everybody is better than you, then eventually it'll come true!" "But it is true," she insisted, whispering. "No it's not. I've seen your work; it's exceptional. Corona may have a wider range of expertise than you, yes, but she's not the master of any subject. You are. Now tell me, who is the greater woman: the one who learns ten languages or the one who masters three?" "The one who learns ten, of course." "No, you're thinking quantity, not quality. Look, Corona is the quantity in this function, and that's okay. Let her spread her wings. But I think it's more beautiful to reflect inwardly, to plunge deeper and deeper inside oneself, to see what truly lurks in all those dark corners. You're certainly the master when it comes to the depth of knowledge in your art, and Corona can't touch that." Amina's tan face was burgundy red by the time Nomi was through—not from the cold, but from the praise she knew she didn't deserve. She hid herself in her large coat and murmured. "Please, don't say such things." Nomi put her arm over her friend's shoulders. "I say it because I care, and because it's true. Now no more moping, okay? Okay?" Amina meekly nodded, making Nomi smile. "All right, great! Now what say we have dinner at my house? I'll bet I can fix up some muse for you while we're there, and who knows? You might be able to help me with my, erm, rivals." Amina smiled sweetly, loving the idea. Was it because Nomi was being so good to her, as usual, or because—heaven forbid!—she actually was in love with the other girl? Amina had enough problems already; the feelings of a girl fresh from adolescence would have to wait. ...... Ancelin and Aintzane had a fairly large kendo club by the time the announcement came. There was going to be a special tournament held, and four of the schools in the area would be invited, including Stanton. A few of the girls were ecstatic, while others didn't really care. Ancelin had not been invited to a tournament, although Zane remembered entering in one when she was just a first-year student. She encouraged her "junior partner" to accept, but miss Yi was skeptical. "Most of the students don't have good training," she reasoned. "There are too few of us with any skill." "So just get one of the older girls, i.e. me, to teach the others so we'll be ready." "Are you volunteering?" Klein smiled. "Well I do have more years and experience than you, my dear. Don't worry, you're still official leader of this whole thing. I plan on stepping aside soon anyway once soccer season starts. Gotta get in shape to meet with ol' Petra." "Is that your rival?" said Corona teasingly. Zane frowned. "Come on, the whole school knows it. You heard how she insulted me last year." "Yeah, and I was in the bleachers. Yikes. I was never more thankful for a lack of subtitles." "If you're going to train for soccer, shouldn't somebody else teach them?" "Who do you suggest? You're already burdened with teaching everybody." "Hey, I am here, you know!" shouted Ivory indignantly. Zane grinned. "Oh yeah, the boss' lover. I almost forgot. Well, the day you actually beat the boss without drooling over her..." "You wanna fight, Klein? I'll kick your ass so far up your body, it'll give you an extra pair of shoulders!!" "Settle down," murmured Ancelin. She touched Ivory's shoulder and gave her a cool look (the poor girl knowing she had crossed the line, again). "Now I know most everyone here, and I know what they can do. Ivory is very talented, yes, but I would prefer she teach the newer students. I have faith in her at least." (Ivory blushed furiously) "Mihoshi, you're new, but you've already proven yourself capable. Could you teach them?" "Sensei, you honor me too greatly. I would be happy to take this responsibility, but I am going to be putting most of my efforts into cheerleading practice." "Oh, all right. Alisha, Erica, what about you? Together you could do more than I could alone." "We'd be happy to!" exclaimed the older girl, grabbing her sister in a headlock. "Wouldn't we, Ricky?!" "...Happy to," she managed, wincing. Ancelin smiled. "All right. This tournament is next month, so we don't have a lot of time. I will be training those a little more advanced." "Uh, excuse me." The girls turned, unaccustomed to the new voice, and noticed a meek blonde, lithe, pale, and slouching somewhat. She had military surplus clothes, which made her look tougher than she probably was, and a face unsure of itself in the presence of other people. "Oh, hello," said Ancelin, bowing in respect (her students did the same). "I haven't seen you before. Are you new?" "Uh, yeah, you could say that. I just transferred over winter break, but I've kind of been out and about. I heard there was going to be some kind of sword-fighting class held after school and so I came because I was interested." "This is actually kendo," said Zane, naturally interested in the new girl. "It's not fighting so much as it is an exercise to hone physical skill and mental discipline. You might've seen it practiced if you watched ESPN or maybe a few animes." "Oh, right! This is sort of like what the Jedi Knights do." "Uh...I guess." The blonde smiled, asked for a shinai, a bamboo practice sword, and tested it with a few swings. Ancelin gave her a quizzical stare. "Uh, Miss..." "Miklos-comma-Rozalia. Rozy for short." "Right. Miss Miklos, do you know how to properly use that?" "A little. I mostly imitate other people, like the aforementioned Jedi. I think I'll give this class a try." "Then maybe we should start you out with Ivory." Ancelin nodded to her girlfriend, who walked over and loaned her hand. Rozy didn't take it, offering to nod instead, and asked to be introduced to "that brunette girl who I guess is in charge". "Ancelin," blurted Ivory angrily. "Call her Ancelin, okay?" "Ivory..." "What? She has to learn your name!" Ancelin shrugged and resumed teaching; Rozy was given a basic once-over of kendo's history, purpose, and regulations, but was favored with the "quick version" since Ivory liked fighting more than honing her skills. She would probably get along well with Rozalia, who also preferred to fight rather than talk. The two then started a duel, Rozy briefly closing her eyes to imagine herself elsewhere. "The magnificent Jedi Master Kamdall Wince stood atop Bespin's apex, the endless vortex of Cloud City's atmosphere beneath him. Before him, whipped mercilessly by the gaseous winds, is his lifetime rival, the fierce Jedi Master Hayseed Star, founder of the Galactic Order of Souls. The two have crossed many times in their lives, and this may be where they meet for the last time! Will Bespin become their grave?" Ivory stared. "Uh...why are you talking to yourself?" "I'm like that," Rozy told her, before going into the battle. Ivory found it rather hard to believe, but this weird little novice was about to give her a tough time. Corona, battling Rai of all people, would soon come to understand the other woman, as their individual rivals would also come to understand each other. Yuki, who was having a hard time instructing her semi-lame girlfriend, tried not to think about her own obligations. The next day she was due for early morning practice, and neither her feelings for Olivia nor her body's distaste for the dawn hours would stop her from becoming head cheerleader. Alisha Fox's only true rival in the world was six months pregnant. Erica had admitted to still loving Jocelyn, shortly after passing up an opportunity to bed her sister. Alisha hadn't slept that night, but nobody noticed. She kept painful things hidden well. Kula Nanahara had two rivals. She could not fight them with her strength or anger; they needed to be dealt with cordially. Something, unfortunately, she was poor in, and the object of her affections excelled in. A most difficult task, indeed, but one she was up to nonetheless.
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