"Blank" Aintzane Klein shivered as she jogged in place and waited for her companions to emerge. One by one the school soccer team emerged from her home, dressed for the cold weather and ready to begin training. Soccer season was upon them at last, and Leena's drills were getting more intense. She had advised her players to train outside of school, when they had the time, and so it fell to Aintzane, the Captain, to rally everyone together for an early morning jog." "You all ready?" she asked the team. The girls performed some light warm-up stretches and were soon jogging after her, down and around the neighborhood. Risin' up, back on the street Did my time, took my chances Went the distance Now I'm back on my feet Just a man and his will to survive So many times, it happens too fast You trade your passion for glory Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past You must fight just to keep them alive It's the Eye of the Tiger It's the thrill of the fight Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger Face to face, out in the heat Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry They stack the odds Still we take to the street For the kill with the skill to survive It's the Eye of the Tiger It's the thrill of the fight Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger Risin' up straight to the top Had the guts, got the glory Went the distance Now I'm not gonna stop Just a man and his will to survive It's the Eye of the Tiger It's the thrill of the fight Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger Now they started chanting, as if they were in the army. Stanton's fierce Badgers are gonna win (Stanton's fierce Badgers are gonna win!) Fight the other team with a mighty din (Fight the other team with a mighty din) Leena's gonna make us work real hard (Leena's gonna make us work real hard) We're gonna carry this team real far! (We're gonna carry this team real far!) Who's good? (Who's good?) We're good! (We're good!) How good? (How good?) This good! (This good!) Fighting Stanton Badgers never cry (Fighting Stanton Badgers never cry) That's because we fight until we die! (That's because we fight until we die!) We're number one and that's the truth! (We're number one and that's the truth!) We're gonna fight them claw and tooth! (We're gonna fight them claw and tooth!) Who's good? (Who's good?) We're good! (We're good!) How good? (How good?) This good! (This good!) I don't know but I've been told (I don't know but I've been told) All the other teams are really cold (All the other teams are really cold) We're gonna be victorious (We're gonna be victorious) Cuz everyone else is a big fat wuss! (Cuz everyone else is a big fat wuss!) Sound off! One-two! Sound-off! Three-four! Sound off one-two-three-four...Badgers! Now they stopped for a breather. Except for Kathlyn, few people were even out of breath, but she had a good reason. Bringing her into the team was actually a good idea: not only was she a great goalie, but she gave the impression of weakness, and thus would be underestimated by the other teams. Even though she was perhaps the oldest girl in the team, the others looked after her like a little sister, and took care of her and called her one of their own. They also knew about her infatuation with their coach—but by that time, few people didn't. Aside from Parkin, only one other person lagged behind, but she also had good reason. Jocelyn McKeough, roughly eight months pregnant by that time, could not run as she once had, considering her impressive girth. She still exercised with the others (because all mothers-to-be needed it, perhaps more than anyone else), but couldn't go nearly as fast. She and Kathlyn befriended each other quickly, having been forced behind the pack on so many occasions; they just leaned on their knees, trying to catch their breath, both of them looking worn-out. "Hey, Joss," called Alexis Walker. McKeough looked up at the older girl, face wet with perspiration in spite of the chilly air. "Look, everybody's thinkin' it, I'm just sayin' it: I doubt you'll have that kid in time to participate in any of the games." "Oh, it's all right. I'm not entertaining any thoughts of playing soccer this year. I just came out here for the exercise and interaction." She gave the whole crew a pretty smile, and it was safe to say that few could resist it. X just shrugged, having said her peace, and went back to stretching. "Wonder what today's schedule is?" said Alisha, rotating her arms around slowly. She looked to Zane, who was still jogging in place. "I'd like to go once around the block. It's a pretty beautiful place, even on a cold day like this. I'd like for us to at least get a feel of what it's like to use our soccer muscles again. I dunno about any of you, but I practiced over the winter." "Outdoors?" "Yeah, of course. Toughened me up." "Jeez, you're hardcore." "Nah," she said humbly. "I'm really not doing too well. Word has it that before she came to the states, Petra trained outdoors in the winter as well." "So?" "She's Russian," Klein emphasized. "Think about it—Russian winters, the worst of the bunch. And I heard some days she only wore shorts and a sports bra, not even socks or shoes. That is seriously fucked-up hardcore if you asked me." "Well," admitted Walker, "it's definitely fucked up, I'll give you that. So what about breakfast? I'm so hungry I could eat Erica." Poor Erica turned red—a few people laughed, knowing full well what Alexis meant—and muttered something reasonably foul as she distanced herself from the lewd woman. Everyone thought breakfast was a good idea, but Zane didn't want to eat until she had worked up a good appetite. Luckily, Jocelyn hadn't lost her common sense at all during her pregnancy. "Didn't you have a McDonald's around here somewhere? We could just go there...or we could walk there. It'd be good exercise and we'd end up with a nice reward at the end." "No way am I jogging that far in this blizzard!" shouted Ivory, shivering all over. "It's not that far, maybe about a mile." "Well neither of us can run a mile," noted Katt, "and I certainly don't want to walk." "You're all being a bunch of sissies!" spat Zane. "Get over yourselves! Joss, that sounds like the best idea since John Montagu put sliced bread and meat together and invented the sandwich." An awkward pause. "...Buh?" "Sorry," she winced, "Raulson's making us all research strange things, and I chose the Fourth Earl of Sandwich." "Oh. Do you think Chef Vee would know anything about that?" "Chef Vee...is not her usual approachable self these days," noted Walker. The others knew what she was talking about—lately, Sonia had been gravely depressed and had not smiled in days, which was a serious problem considering her friendly nature. "What do you think caused it?" "Shit!" cackled Ivory, who was looking more and more miserable (and cold) by the minute. "Can we please continue this conversation somewhere with a thermostat? It's so cold my eyeballs are almost frozen! Shit, now I know how Han Solo felt like!" Everyone agreed that they should go, and even though it was difficult, they tried talking along the way. Kathlyn and Jocelyn were left behind after awhile, so they hung back, walked, and talked to each other. When it got too cold (which was nearly all the time), they huddled together for warmth and walked with their arms around their bodies. "May I ask you something personal?" said the mother-to-be. Kathlyn was feeling pretty good that morning in spite of her weak lungs and the frost, so she gave her permission. "Uh...how's it like...dating a teacher?" "Oh, you mean with Leena? Oh, it's... To tell the truth, it's like a dream." Jocelyn grinned as she noticed the absentminded look on Parkins' face. "Is it really? You know, Erica and I once dated, and I have to say that I understand you a little bit...although I think the boundaries between best friends, and students and teachers, is a little different. Then again, Leena is more of a friend than a teacher." The two grinned, one apparently happy and the other clearly in love. "It's been rough lately," said Katt a few steps later. The team had rested again (Ivory was sandwiched between Zane and X, she was so cold) and waved the two "slackers" over, but their efforts were ignored. Kathlyn continued, "Recently Miss Marbel discovered what we were doing and had us...separated. Up until then I spent most every night at Leena's. Now I'm staying with the Headmistress." "Ouch." Both girls winced as if they had stuffed a raw onion in their mouths. "Rooming with Bernie Mac? That's gotta be like a nightmare." "Well, it's not so bad. She treats me pretty well, and she's actually a good cook. I like her okay, it's just...weird." "I can imagine. Why don't you stay at home?" "Another thing we have in common," she said gravely. "My father and mother are not exactly good at the whole parenting thing. I mean, whenever mom's actually at home, she doesn't have enough of a spine to stand up to my father, who's abusive as hell. I don't have too many friends that I could stay with, so I just try to stay out of his way. Soon as I graduate, though, I'm moving right in with my Leenie." Jocelyn laughed softly at the cute pet name, and had to admit it fit the woman well. "So you two are serious then." "Yeah, definitely. I still find it hard to believe a great woman like her is interested in me, but...whatever, y'know? Oh! Get this: when Spring Break comes, we're gonna fly to Finland together, just the two of us, for a whole week!" "Wow!" Jocelyn didn't need to act surprised; she envied her friend immediately. "A trip to Finland! That's awesome! I'm really jealous now!" "Why, what're you doing?" She shrugged. "Probably nothing. Resting at home or whatever." "Oh. Well hey, y'know, it's better than school, right?" "Yeah..." The two smiled, then found their second wind and scurried to catch up with the rest of their team. The trip to the nearest McDonald's wasn't as long as most people feared—it was the cold that got them, not the length—and the warmth of the restaurant soothed their chilled skin as soon as they stuffed themselves through the door. Fortunately, they all had a bit of money with them, and were able to buy enough to keep their stomachs happy for a few hours. They wanted to share one great big table and sit together as a team, but in there it was impossible, so they crowded as close together as they could and regaled each other tales from the seedy corners of Stanton. ...... "So what's all this about Chef Vee feeling not-herself?" "Well, she just doesn't look chipper. Word round the campfire says that the woman she loved broke her heart." "No fucking way, Sonia's a lezzy?" "Yeah, seems that way. What, you haven't noticed the way she stares at all the students and drools?" "You think Gabrielle notices her aprons?" "Oh she's gotta, the Mick has an unhealthy obsession." "Didn't you once try to seduce her way back when by walking into the locker room wearing nothing but a green apron?" "Hey, gimme a break, that was a long time ago." "Whoa, you did that? And she didn't like jump your jugs or anything?" "No, fuck, she already had a girlfriend." "Jeez, that stinks. She's pretty hot, too. Wonder what she's like in bed." "Fuck, man, we're getting off the topic. We need to help cure Chef Vee of her breakup blues." "What, we go up and seduce her too? I think we already learned a lesson from the Kitty-Kat here. Don't fuck with teachers." "Hey, Leena and I...don't do that!" "Look, the kitten's face has turned red! Wonder how long she could go in the sack!" "Ssh! Shut up! We're in a family restaurant, and there are kids here!" "Oh, whoops. Guess we better lay off the F-bombs." "Yeah, this ain't the scene of Scarface." Laughter. "Okay, confession time. If you could do it with any teacher, consequence-free, who'd you do?" Aintzane: "Uh, let's see. I'd probably do...Miss Torvald first, then...Miss Johansson." Blake: "Wow. That came out of nowhere. All right, uh...I guess...Raulson. ...What? She reminds me of Usha! ...Oh, like you all don't still pine over your exes!" Alexis: "Well we already know who miss Kitty-Kat would say! As for me, I'd say Sarah Jo too. God I love her accent..." Ivory: "Well, seeing as how I'm already enamored with Annie-chan, I really can't say who—but if you all insist, I'd do...Madsen." "No shit—uh, scuze' me—you'd get in the sack with Madsen? I thought you hated her!" "Well, kinda, but she's way hot too." "Oh yeah, no doubt. I was gonna say her too. What about you, Joss?" Jocelyn: "Oh, gosh... Don't put me in this position! You guys know I'm not into girls." "Yeah right, and we're Santa's reindeer. Come on, confess! Fess it up, Jossy!" "Okay, okay! Uh...I guess...if I had to choose..." "Keys!" "Shut up!! I wouldn't sleep with my own foster mother!!" "Why? It'd be real hot." "Shut up! Okay, I'm sorry, but you all are a bad influence. I'm not gonna let my baby anywhere near you jerks!" "Come on, come on, don't be like that! We're sorry, we're sorry. Sit down! Finish your thought!" "Well...I was about to say Miss Keeping, but only cuz' she's so nice!" Whistles. "Jocelyn and Abby Keeping! What a hot couple!" "Hey, throw in Keys while you're at it!" "Shut up! God, you all are hopeless! A bunch of hopeless horny...toads!!!" "Hey, hey, okay, easy on the expletives there. Fox sisters, you?" Alisha: Uh...I'd like to be with Sonia, actually. "Awwww!! Erica, what about you?" A pause. Erica: ...Miss Johansson. And Miss Post. Wolf whistles abounded. "The naughty trinity!" "Erica the pimp!" "Shut up," she moaned. The girls laughed. "I can't remember when I had this much fun," said Aintzane happily. "This is even better than the time I made my power bar endorsement." Bogus Flashback: Aintzane's radio promo Hey kids, this is Zane Klein, Captain of this year's state champions, the Stanton Badgers! When I'm on the field, I build up an awesome hunger, and nothing gives me the vitamins I need like Vitamite, the Vitamin with Might! Yes, Vitamite—it contains soccer star-size helpings of sodium nitrate, potassium bicarbonate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, cobalt iodate, thiamine mononitrate, thenadiol bisulfate, sodium selenite, D-L-Alpha tocopherol acetate, glucuronalactone, lanacetol, panothenic acid, and maltodextrin. Vitamite—the Vitamin amateur sportswomen use! Flash-forward: McDonald's "Didn't they go out of business because some health inspector found bits and pieces of actual mites buried in them?" "I dunno," Zane replied. "I just know I can't get enough of them. They paid me with a year's supply, stupid fools." The others looked at each other and decided to ignore their Captain. Then Alexis said... ... ... ... "Damn, I forgot what I was gonna say." Suddenly— Bum-bum-bumm!!! ...... "Ethan Nikholai?!?!" Erica suddenly spat out her coffee. "...Hot!" she screamed. "Too hot!" "That's because you're too busy watching Radar," said Alisha. Everybody groaned. Ethan noticed the troupe, smiled, and walked over to them. "Good morning, ladies. It's nice to run into you all here. You're looking well." "Good morning Ethan" they sang, fluttering their eyes. He looked at them oddly. "Erm, yes... Anyway, mind if my girlfriend and I sit with you? We're both pretty big fans of the Badgers, despite it not being my school." "Certainly!" squealed Blake. "Any fans of us tough Stanton Badgers are more than welcome to join us!" Ethan thanked the girls and called Avelina over; she had been more or less hiding in the doorway. She looked like a wreck, but then again, she usually did. Her hair was all over the place and her coat was enormously large and very black. It was big enough to fit two people (Ethan, in contrast, wore a simple parka). "What's the deal with the bear on your back?" said Alexis, indicating the gigantic coat. Avelina became flush as Ethan helped her out of it. "Well, you know...being born and raised in warm countries doesn't adapt you to the cold. Ethan here's Russian, so he's pretty much used to it. Says this is balmy compared to the motherland!" She stuck her tongue out at him, but he just smiled cutely. "Oh. So you're Russian?" "Da" "Oh, really. Zane's secret lover-slash-archrival is Russian." "She's not my lover!" snarled she. Ivory chuckled. "The way you talk about her, one would figure..." "Shaddap!!" "Who is this?" said Ethan, who was mostly in the dark when it came to the goings-on in his girlfriend's school. Alexis Walker explained for him. "Oh, just some hot chick Zaney ran into a few years back during a game. They used to play for the same team until Zane came to Stanton, but they were always rivals. They've pretty much taken everything to a ridiculous level now. I wouldn't be surprised if half the people who attend our matches want to see how the whole thing goes." "What's her name?" "Petra, Petra Rominostikov. I dunno what part of Russia she hails from, but I bet she'd hit it off with you, Moscow-boy." Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, a sign that he was a little uncomfortable. Walker grinned, nudged Aintzane in the ribs, and added, "I bet you ten bucks that Petra will come in here real soon and start barkin' up a storm." "There's no reason to assume that," said Ethan. "This is a big place, and there are plenty of McDonalds restaurants. I say she doesn't." "Are you gambling, honey?" Avelina said. Ethan grinned. "Only because I know I'll win." Alexis laughed. "Oho, you're on! I say she comes in and starts yelling in Russian!" "And I say she's not even coming out of her bed." "You better be prepared to lose ten American dollars, my friend!" chortled Walker. "I called Petra beforehand and asked her to come here today! Look!" Sure enough, as Ethan turned around—along with everyone else—he could see the unmistakable profile of Aintzane's rival, the tall, muscular, dangerous-looking, nearly-bald blonde Petra, smiling a red smile. Both Aintzane and Ethan gawked. "What?! Has Wombatman been gypped out of ten bucks?!?!" "Ethan," groaned Avelina, "don't be a bore." "Sorry, hon." Petra laughed as she witnessed the whole scene and walked over, staring at her rival. "Alexis, you did well. You would make a good double agent." "Traitor," grumbled Zane, burying her lips in her coffee. Walker just smiled gruffly and excused herself. "Sorry, Klein. I had to get back at you for the time you used my body as a musical instrument." Bogus Flashback: Aintzane's bedroom Aintzane Klein plays Alexis' ribs like a xylophone, blows into her mouth and plays her nose like a flute, slaps her belly like a drum, jiggles her breasts like bongos, and finally performs Bach's "Air" using her hair. Flash-forward: McDonald's "Look guys, I gotta go," she said, finishing off her food. The others bade her farewell, and to keep warm, watch out for traffic, that sort of thing, and were soon one less in number. Aintzane looked ready to stick her head in a toilet—anything to end the humiliation. As Petra roasted her (the others never once coming to her defense), Ethan bought breakfast for himself and Avelina; the two eventually convinced Erica, Jocelyn, Blake, and Kathlyn (in other words, the "good" girls) to pull away from the group and join them. Blake didn't have time to enjoy the reduced company, for an old friend was just coming through the door, like an aged memory. "Totally Casablanca," she murmured. It was Usha, and she was alone. Blake smiled and waved at her; Krishnan made a beeline to her ex-girlfriend, looking pleased just by being around her. "Hello, Blake. Namaste I didn't expect to see you here." "Namaste yourself, Ush. I didn't think you were the McDonald's type." "Oh, I just came for the hotcakes. Everything else is so greasy." "Yeah, I know, but what're you gonna do? Hey, sit down, join us!" "Actually...I'd really like to talk to you in private. Do any of you mind?" Those gathered around Blake said they didn't, so Ladies Baum and Krishnan left them for an empty table. Nobody really knew what they talked about, but just by looking at their reactions to each other's words, they could guess. "You realize the whole gang is staring at us," muttered Blake playfully. Usha grinned. "Yes... Wow, you look really great!" "Thank you." "How are you, how have you been?" "Me? Oh, you know, no great complaints. Stuff here, stuff there, nothing big." A hum. "And you?" "Uh...hmm. How should I say this? Where do I begin... Well," she said after a long sigh, "uh, to be honest, I...kind of broke up with Kula." "Whoa, really? I had no idea. What for?" "Mm, well...let me just say that...I was tired of deceiving myself. I realized, not long ago, I was really only in it for the sex." Naturally, Blake's face exploded with emotion, and she had to cough a few times to get her bearings. "Whoa, okay, so you two were serious?" "She was," muttered Usha in shame. "I was not. I mean, I did like her, just...not the way I should have. I'm afraid I broke her heart quite a bit when I told her how I felt. She didn't take it well. I think she was really in love with me." "...Dang!" Blake belted. "That is...whacked out! Ho, gigi... Let's all go to the mountains for awhile!" "I know. It was a punch in the gut to us all, this whole debacle. I feel like a whore." Blake grinned sadly, and reached out to hold her ex-girlfriend's hands. "Well, for what it's worth, I still think you're cool." "Um, yes, about that too..." Blake waited for the pause to take effect, and leaned in as Usha, her olive-skinned face blushing, whispered a deeper secret. "To be honest...I was wondering...if you still like me and don't hate me for what I did to you two..." "No, it's okay. Go on." "Hmm. Anyway...I was thinking...if you're interested and unavailable... Maybe...we...could give this thing another try?" "You mean...get back together again?" Usha nodded once, her smile barely visible. Blake's, on the other hand, grew proportionately. "I would...love that...so much!" "Really?" she replied, sounding surprised. "Even after everything I did?" "Sure, yeah! I mean, you really only broke up with us because you didn't want to be in a threesome, and Mira sort of...left...when I, uh, said some...stuff she didn't like." "Mira broke up with you?" Blake shrugged. "What can I say, the Dutch find me resistible." Usha smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." "No, you don't have to apologize." "I want to. I've been...terrible, to you both, and dishonest to myself and Kula. I'm really a terrible person, not the queen people make me out to be. I don't deserve to be with a girl as great as you..." "Hey, shut up!" Blake slapped Usha very gently on her cheek, then kissed her fiercely, right on her quivering lips. "Don't say things like that, kid! You'll make me disrespect you! Go on, stop with all the misery. You've suffered enough. Look...I want you back, I really do. If you think we can work this stuff out and pick up where we left off, then I'm all for it." Usha smiled brightly and embraced her friend right there in the restaurant in front of all the people—then pulled back, still unsure. "What about Mira?" "We'll just have to kick some sense into that girl's head. I don't think we should all get back together—maybe two groups of two are better for us all—but she needs to stop feeling so much animosity towards you. She said some pretty mean things." "I know. I heard a few of them." Blake frowned. She didn't want to think of this, not now! Not when she had just reunited with what could've been the love of her young life! She took Usha's hands into her own, reinvigorating that familiar touch, and stared her square in the eye. "We'll take care of it. Mira needs to understand that you didn't mean her harm, and you still love her. At the very least, you two should be friends, and we need to settle this before Spring Break." "Yes, you are right. So...we are really back together again?" Blake grinned. "You bet your life, sexy." Usha grinned too, and the renewed couple kissed—then remembered why they were there in the first place. A lot of stories begin with people eating breakfast, but this one ended with it.
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