The Play-by-Play

The green eyes of the short brunette took in everything with the briefest glances at her subjects. These days, it could be challenging to monitor a situation while jotting down notes without getting noticed. Still, Norah Almond had a way of blending into the background even during the oddest times for a person to write in a small notebook. One such weird time would be now, as Norah watched Whitney, Lacey, a redhead, and a ditzy blonde run circles around each other.

The redhead looks young but has to be a doctor, Norah surmised. Jotting that bit of information down in shorthand that she created as a child, the sophomore reporter also wrote a reminder to check the online directory for the Honey Hollow Medical Center. The blonde proved easy enough to learn her name as she heard Chastity and Miss Kupp bandied about several times.

However, it was the young, beautiful doctor who caught Norah's curiosity. The redhead appeared highly intelligent while speaking with a strangely formal cadence. I wonder what sort of a story she has to tell. For Norah, learning about people's hidden depths interests her. Where most individuals saw others in their daily lives as bland or boring, the sixteen-year-old already knew that people often hide their true personalities and secret lives. Most of the time, those secrets turn out to be boring or mildly embarrassing. Yet the tiny percentage who held fascinating or troubling views or behavior was what drove Norah to study everyone, to determine whether a subject needed investigation, to fill piles of notebooks in her bedroom. Nor was it uncommon for Norah to be investigating multiple people at once. Currently, the teen has forty-seven subjects under various levels of scrutiny.

Norah's two journalism mentors, Ramsey and Daisy, might find it amusing, annoying, or disturbing to learn they made the investigatory list. Actually, the entire Buzzy Bee staff appeared on that list. Within weeks of meeting, Geoffrey Inch's awful attempts to clandestinely meet Veronica Klass pinged Norah's sonar. Obviously, Veronica worked as the go-between for Geoff and Olena Olesky. It was a matter that called for further examination. As for Odette Manske, her folder contained a list of all the crimes the tech-savvy teen had already committed.

Check that: There was one staff member without a folder. Norah couldn't recall ever meeting a person quite like Dexter Kirby. Her fellow sophomore seemed incapable of telling a successful lie or hiding his feelings on any matter. By the end of the first staff meeting, Norah could tell that Dex held a slight crush on Ramsey, strived to meet his sister's expectations, disliked Geoff for whatever he'd done to Daisy in the past, seemed a little scared of Odette, and was in awe of Ms. Resto's beauty. Yet, oddly, Dex appeared genuinely thrilled to have another newcomer, Norah, alongside to learn the reporting ropes. And months later, that's still how he viewed Norah.

"I knew it!" Lacey screamed.

That exclamation and Whitney's subsequent reaction caused Norah to abandon the current scene and follow Lacey. Nearly on the petite cheerleader's heels, the teenage journalist overheard enough bits of Lacey's mutterings to guess the issue. Based on the ginger's trajectory, Norah scanned the ball-goers nearby.

Spotting Dexter and Seth Francy standing fifteen feet away from the Babybees, Norah quickly deduced why as she saw Zoey Gibble with the young cheerleaders. Clearly, Dex had turned to Seth for help approaching his crush and the person Daisy assigned him to use as a source.

As an extended member of the Wynwick family, Seth Francy had proven to be a highly intelligent kid growing up. However, he now wasted that intellect in Norah's eyes. These days, Seth's brain seems overrun by his inherited hormones. Sure, his sharp mind still existed, but it only showed in his quick wit as his grades had started to slide. With his perfectly styled black hair, brown eyes, and handsome face, Seth did have a certain appeal to girls, Norah admitted. However, his focus on girls above all else annoyed her. Still, Seth was far more benign than his emerging rival for class heartthrob in Dawson Fox.

"Forget that. We have a situation developing. Take out your notebook, Dex," Norah ordered. Her out-of-nowhere appearance caused Seth to jump and call her creepy.

"Uh, what's happening?" Dex asked with the usual confusion on his face.

"Near the bar. Bianca's hanging all over Austin. Lacey received a tip," Norah explained in a burst of short fragments.

"Oh, shit. Catfight coming," Seth announced. With eyes flicking to life with interest, he nudged Dex in the arm.

"More like a hornet's nest is--" Norah's clarification ended up interrupted.

SLAP

"Holy. Fuck. That was a slap!" Seth remarked in awe at the power of Lacey's response to her boyfriend getting felt up by her rival.

"Heck with this," Norah stated, putting away her notebook in favor of her phone. "I'll take video notes. Do the same."

Still searching his pockets for a pen or pencil, Dex hurriedly reached for his phone while accidentally dropping his notebook. While bent over, he heard another commotion erupt from his side. Standing back up, he looked around while asking, "What was that?"

"Kizzy fainted," Norah revealed, her attention focused on what her camera phone recorded.

"Again?" Dex queried in disbelief.

"Yep," Seth said, nodding. "Here comes Lana. And look at her dress. Damn!"

Dexter's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head while Norah slightly rolled hers to the side. She'd already seen the teal two-piece with its mermaid-style lower half and big bow-tied strapless top. At least when it came to her sexuality, Lana Stratton hid nothing.

"Lana Stratton arrives. Wearing her usual exhibitionist attire. Lana appears to be attempting to play peacekeeper. Strange. That's opposite her modus operandi."

"I mean, how does it stay up? Her tits are like a flood pushing against a dam. It's gotta blow at some point, right?" Seth rambled on in awe.

"Do you mind, Francy? I don't need your lust-filled commentary while chronicling what's happening," Norah remarked.

"Hey, I'm just saying what's on every guy's mind here," Seth defended himself. "Besides, you could use a bit of inspiration for your appearance. A cute girl like yourself should wear a dress, not a frock, for New Year's."

"This is a dress, not a frock," Norah counter-defended, gesturing at her tan dress with her free hand.

"Is it? Seems more like something Prudence Goodley would wear," Seth responded, smirking.

"You did not just say that? I am not dressed like Pruden--"

"Uh-oh," Dexter blurted out.

"Whoa! I mean, Teresa Zuccaro had arrived. She's also wearing her usual attire. It does not appear that Lana's attempts to play peacemaker will last long as Teresa is wearing--"

"She's wearing the same fucking dress!" Seth shouted after picking up his jaw from the floor.

"It's not the same. Lana's dress is teal while Teresa's is tangerine," Norah argued, out of patience with Seth's interruptions.

"And you just revealed that you don't know dresses. They might be different colors, but it's the same dress. Shit's about to--yep," Seth nodded as Lana pointed out the similar dresses.

"Lana has accused Teresa of stealing her dress. Teresa counters with the same accusation."

"Hey, you see what's happening in the background?" Dex interrupted his reporting partner. "Yelena tried to jump in, and some strange dude picked her up and carried her away."

"Don't use the word dude to describe anyone," Norah ordered, sounding a lot like Daisy.

"Whoa! JoJo Gibble just got in Yelena's face!" Seth cried.

"His name is Jared Lockett. He's from Rattle Ridge, and his mom is--"

"Gabriela Ariza-Lockett. Former cheerleader and longtime best friend of Rachel McCracken-Stratton. Thank you, Zoey, but I'm aware of tonight's guests," Norah rattled off as the younger Gibble and several Babybees came over. The Buzzy Bee reporter noted that Dex's body went rigid with Zoey close by.

"And he popped JoJo's cherry sometime this week," Yolanda supplied.

"Really?" Seth questioned, raising his eyebrows in intrigue.

"Sounds like Whitney's cabin is where all the action is this week," YoYo responded, bumping her hip with Seth's. "Bet you wish the Diamonds and Wynwicks didn't hate each other."

"Hey, I'm perfectly willing to offer my body to Whitney as a peace offering," Seth replied, sporting a grin so big that it caused several of the Babybees to laugh.

"A-Are y-you okay, Kizzy?" Dexter inquired, forcing himself to talk with Zoey around.

"She's fine. Dummy thought that Sean was crippled," Beatrice answered for the younger Beal.

"I did not! I...I just didn't think he could walk," Kizzy clarified.

"And she faints quite a bit."

"Harley!" Kizzy shrieked, mortified that her best friend would say that in front of Seth Francy.

"And Teresa responds by pushing Lana back," Norah announced for her video notes. "Whitney also arrives, muscling her way in between Lacey and Bianca. Choice words are being exchanged between the Stratton and Zuccaro sisters. Whitney adds a few of her own while disrespecting Austin."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's no way to call the action, Almond Joy. Let me help you out, sweetie," a new voice said from over Norah's shoulder.

None of the teens had to look to know that the voice belonged to Chris Schipper. The class clown for their age group, Chris, had a boisterous voice to match a similarly lively personality. Having never seen a prank or joke not worth telling, Chris could be the life of the party or the annoying guy who couldn't shut up. Still, he had a personality that made him a casual friend of most people.

"Call me that again, and I'll publish your obituary in The Buzzy Bee," Norah growled.

"Yeah, Schipper, Almond Joys are filled with coconuts, and Norah is still in the peanut stage," Seth joked.

"Seth!" Beatrice admonished.

"So wrong," Kizzy hissed.

"What? Zoey's the one that should be called a candy with her coconuts," Seth responded, digging a deeper hole for himself with some of the girls but not Zoey.

"Dude!" Dexter hissed.

"Hmm, what candy should I be called then?" Zoey wondered, proud of the attention that her ample bosom brought.

"Wha?" Dex replied, baffled.

"Well, where to get started. I'd start with Bounty as you have bountiful--" Chris began before getting cut off.

"And there will be no comparing Zoey's coconuts to my peanuts test. Weak attempt, Francy," Norah criticized after concluding where his comments would lead to.

"Just keeping you on your toes, kiddo. Someday, I'll win," Seth remarked. He attempted to put his arm around Norah's shoulder, but she shrugged it off to resume her verbal notes.

"Cadence has entered the commotion. Oh, that's not good."

"Not good? I'd called that a stellar move by Cadence. Punching your cousin's boyfriend in the face is a game-changer. How is our pretty little matchmaker going to respond? By screaming at her bratty cousin, that's how," Chris started up his commentary to Norah's chagrin.

"Whitney appears unsure how to respond, but is now holding Lacey back from Cadence. Bianca takes a step back in amusement," Norah narrated for later.

"No way!"

"Did he just call..."

"Should we do something?"

"And Whitney's decision is taken out of her hands as Austin calls Cadence a cunt. Good thing the holidays are over, for now, folks. If Austin and Lacey are still dating come Easter, I'm willing to play the fly on the wall at the Strattons," Chris described as the situation began to spiral further out of control.

"Shit, I'd pay to play the potted plant in Lana's bedroom," Seth remarked, earning groans and fake laughter from the Babybees.

"Uh, guys, we got more trouble coming," Dexter announced.

"Describe, Dex, describe," Norah reminded.

"Um, I can't hear, but it looks as if Caterina just told JoJo that she'd handle Yelena and stepped in front of her."

"Wait, when did Cat show up?" Seth questioned, pissed that he missed that detail.

"Now we're grooming for a catfight," Chris joked, but it landed with a thud.

"Uh, she, Kaitlin, and Yumi just came rushing from the hallway leading to the bathrooms," Dex recounted.

"Oh, boy. Katie's about to start some drama," Kizzy commented about her older sister.

"Can't believe Metropolis bans people under eighteen. Talk about discrimination," Seth complained, still upset over missing the fight that Kaitlin started at the dance club the other night.

"Yeah! Why can't we dance too?" Zoey grumbled, along with Yolanda and Beatrice.

"Yelena and Caterina exchange heated words, with Yumi attempting to block Kaitlin from slapping or scratching the Sugarbee's face. Yumi isn't holding her back so much as putting her back in front of Kaitlin. And--oh, my!" Norah broke her monotone description as the confrontation farthest from their group escalated.

"We've had a slap, numerous curses, but we've now just witnessed our first spitting as Katie Beal spits at the face of Maneater Mishkova! 1-0 for Beal!" Chris proclaimed as if Kaitlin had hit a home run.

"Yep, that's my big sis," Kizzy said, sounding resigned to more coming.

"Can't we all just get along? Please?" Yumi shouted at the two squads. "Pretty please?!"

"Um, Aurora has rushed over to where her brother is part of a love triangle. Beyza and Delilah are with her. The latter seems to be trying to calm things down, but Beyza just pushed Jasmine...for why I don't know," Dex reported.

"Why the hell is she pushing Jasmine?" Ariel Satine, the youngest Sugarbee, questioned.

"When the hell did she join us?" Seth asked, earning a shrug from Dexter.

"What once started as a simple love triangle has now erupted into a trio of standoffs. But, wait! Make that former standoffs as Cat and Yelena have entered the hair-pulling phase, and Lacey has jumped onto Bianca. Boy, look at her stagger but stay up. Impressive balance by the Sugarbee captain," Chris complimented.

"Lana and Teresa's shoving match has seen Peyton Tarver and Reece Kittle try to play peacemakers, but Jewel Romer's presence and efforts have appeared to anger Lana further," Norah noted.

"I'll say, Almond. Lana Stratton has descended into the name-calling gutter. She's belittling Jewel's career ambitions by calling her a "Weather Girl." Plentiful words are coming out of her mouth as to how hard it is to point at the map with your big tits getting in the way," Chris chimed in.

"Oh, fuck, Poppy's coming," Yolanda announced, glancing behind to the main doors.

"And my sister is with her," Seth groaned. Stephanie always managed to insert herself into situations like this.

"Um, backup has arrived for Yelena," Dexter alerted his growing group.

"Is anyone going to stop this?" Aidan Thirlby questioned, announcing that he'd joined his friends Dexter and Seth.

"Doesn't look like it," Kizzy answered.

"Yeah, look at all the adults. Grownups, my ass. Hey!" Yolanda squealed after Seth slapped said body part. "Do that again!"

"Maybe later," Seth winked.

"Last year's Sugarbee captain, Violet Fitch, just dragged Caterina off of Yelena. Honey Yarwood is now in Kaitlin's face with Elin Helsing scolding Yumi, for who knows what reason." Norah described the Sugarbee reinforcements and their actions.

"What's that bitch doing talking to Yumi like that?" Kizzy challenged, growing angry.

"Don't worry, my sister is on it," Yolanda reassured as Yanet Fuentes, a cheerleader from last year, rushed over to aid Yumi.

"And down goes Tarver!" Chris announced, shifting everyone's attention to the main argument.

"What?!" Zoey shouted.

"What happened?" Kizzy squealed.

"What a rough week for the hero of the moment as he catches an accidental blow to the face," Chris continued.

"Is Sean okay?" Harley inquired, peering around the crowd for a glimpse without any luck.

"We are in so much trouble," Beatrice remarked, believing she'd face Whitney's wrath more than anyone.

"Ooh! Not the way to reward your rescuer," Chris carried on, causing all the Babybee eyes to widen at him. "It appears that the accidental punch to Sean's face came from Whitney."

"We. Are. So. Dead," Kizzy moaned, voicing what every Babybee thought.

"Ohimgawd! Something is happening, and we're missing it," Winnie Wirch complained as she raced over. "Dagnabbit, this is my parents' fault!"

"What the hell is happening?" Robin Ridge asked her best friend.

"What else? The cheerleaders and Sugarbees," Zoey responded.

"This is so embarrassing," Zara stated.

"Yet, the so-called grownups seem to find it funny if they aren't pretending to be outraged. Neither are stepping in to stop it," Ariel added.

"All in the name of 'tradition' between the squads," Robin commented.

Zoey nodded as she'd partly skipped out on joining the cheer squad for this very reason. On the other hand, Winnie watched in fascination as the scene unfolded. To her, it felt like a TV show came to life.

"Well, if I'm elected an officer again, I'm not continuing this petty feud," Beatrice declared. "It's humiliating to hear the squads at other schools mock Honey Hollow High."

"We aren't the ONLY school with a rivalry," Kizzy pointed out.

"But we could have a few years of peace starting next year," Ariel suggested. "Olivia and the twins aren't cheerleader haters. And you girls are my friends," the lone Sugarbee sophomore reminded with a smile.

"Well, Cadence obviously has her issues. But if Margo is captain next year, she might carry it on for the sake of tradition," Zara speculated.

"As if we're going to listen to Margo," Yolanda scoffed.

"But she could **** it to happen," Harley pointed out. With her mom and Bridget Tarver's bitter feud always fresh in her mind, the sweet, shy girl didn't want to be **** into a similar situation.

"The cheer captaincy isn't a dictatorship, nor is the dance one either," Zoey, a non-cheerleader, reminded her friends.

"Try telling that to Whitney," Beatrice mumbled.

"Or Cat," Kizzy added under her breath.

"Bianca too," Ariel finished the trio of leaders as Delilah actually listened to her fellow dancers.

"Fuck that! If Margo pulls some power play, I say we mount a cheersurgency," Yolonda declared, combining cheer and insurgency.

"Good one, Fuentes," Chris said, nodding in approval.

"Uh, Seth, what's your sister up to?" Norah queried.

The group of sophomores all turned their attention to where Stephanie Francy clearly tiptoed over to Teresa from behind. Most of the group didn't have a clue as to what the slightly ditzy young woman had planned. Only a few avid Nosy Nectar readers had an inkling forming in their minds as something familiar clicked.

"Mom's going to be super pissed, Steph," Seth mumbled, knowing full well what his older sister planned to do.

Four nights ago, Stephanie had two triumphant moments. First, she outwitted Lana and Poppy's competition as a dark horse contestant by fucking Archer Bowe on top of a desk at The Copper Lantern. Second, she served a well-deserved payback at Estelle Wynwick, her first cousin, by ripping her dress off to expose her underwear-clad body.

Hoping to perform a similar moment tonight, Steph snuck over to where Lana and Teresa jawed with their noses barely apart. Reaching around the older Zuccaro sister with both hands, Steph planned to grab each end of the large bow that held Teresa's strapless top together. It would be a glorious moment during an already memorable holiday break for the dark-haired coed. Unfortunately, Steph wasn't the brightest bulb. So when she reached for each of Teresa's ties, she unknowingly grabbed one of Lana's ties instead of Teresa's second.

"Ta-da!" Steph screamed triumphantly as she yanked.

A tangerine top appeared in one of her hands, and in the other a teal top.

Exposed to the room? Two pairs of breasts.