The Firebee

“You will stand next to me for the rest of the game, understood?” Topaz questioned, standing off to the side of the bleachers, near the wall.

“Aw, do I have to? I was seriously worried about Sean,” Kizzy whined, her shoulders slumping.

“You created a scene.”

“YoYo’s the one who yelled for an ambulance, not me.”

“I’ll deal with Yolanda later. I should call your mother about your behavior,” the varsity cheer coach threatened, hinting that she knew precisely what the younger Beal had been doing on her older classmate’s lap.

“She’ll probably want details and to know how it made me feel,” the daughter of a marriage counselor/sex therapist speculated, shrugging.

“You’re probably correct, knowing McKenzie,” Topaz admitted, sighing. “You know, you’re supposed to be the good sister. No, don’t grin like that!”

“Katie’s the bad sister. Katie’s the bad sister,” Kizzy sang. “Wait until she hears that.”

With the close game potentially swinging the opposite way, the experienced cheer coach watched as the Mules started an 11-2 run against the hometown Bees. After Louie mishandled a pass from Jayden, leading Adamson to score an easy layup, Coach Grimm angrily called for a timeout with the score sitting at 24-16.

“Excuse me. Do you know which of these cough syrup brands is safe to take with my blood pressure medication?” an elderly voice asked.

Gum popping sound. “Aren’t they all? So, you gonna buy one or not?” a young feminine voice asked before a cash register pinged.

“Are you sick and tired of cold, clueless service at those chain store pharmacies? Then, stop in at Kirby Apothecary, where we take the time to get to know every customer and their needs, as if they were our own family. That’s correct, Kirby Apothecary, where your health needs come first, not selling convenience story items at an inflated price.”

“Back already?” the dark blonde asked from the temporary bleachers. In response, the short, brown-haired sophomore threw out his hands while mumbling about getting bossed around. “Your problem. You could’ve refused.”

“I tried!” Dexter pointed out.

“Not when Katie asked,” Daisy noted. Tapping the earpiece on her left side that played the 780 AM broadcast, she switched subjects. “You know, we really need to sit Dad down. It’s far past time for a new radio commercial.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because he’s still running that boring one with Jessy as the cashier. It’s from five years ago,” Daisy pointed out.

“Does anyone care?” the younger sibling asked.

“You should. It helps pay for our lives, and Dad is out of touch,” the school reporter commented. “He should take advantage of our connections. We know the drama club kids. Maybe I can get Jesse or Digg to convince him. Some crap about pride for the baseball team.”

“Zoey’s in drama!” Dex yipped in excitement. Hiring his crush to work on a commercial might be a way to get to know the most beautiful girl in his class.

“Oh, now you care.”

Be aggressive!
B-E aggressive!
Be aggressive!
B-E-E aggressive!
Be a Bee! Be a B-E-E
Buzz, buzz, buzzzz!

"Our team is what?” Yumi shouted, causing Whitney to jerk her head around. This was not the time for that specific cheer to get the crowd excited.

“Red hot!” YoYo, Saylor, Harley, Uma, and Beatrice responded, yelling from the bleachers. Fern screwed up as usual, screaming “Winning!” instead.

“Our team is what?” Yumi repeated, with Katie and Lacey flanking her on the court, while reacting sassily toward the muted response.

“RED HOT!” the high school crowd roared.

“And we’re back with 7:43 remaining in the first half and a score of 24-16 in favor of the Mighty Mules. Despite the best efforts of the Lady Bumblebees, our Fighting Bees are ice cold at the moment after allowing an 11-2 run,” Chris recounted for his podcast listeners.

“Lady Bumblebees? I love that!” Saylor announced, turning to see what Mercedes and Cadence thought. The other Bumble Girl scowled at her friend’s excitement, while the cheerleader royal scoffed at what the party girl had just learned.

“It’s an old name for the cheer squad that’s obsolete,” Cadence disclosed, practically turning her nose up in disgust.

“It is?” YoYo questioned. “Yanet never mentioned it.”

“It was phased out before our parents’ time,” Harley revealed.

“And it’s written in the showcases in the main hallway about our cheer history. Have you never looked at that?” the JV captain challenged.

“Whoa! Simmer down, Bea. We don’t need you turning into a mini Diamond,” YoYo shot back before turning around to find Zara wearing a pair of headphones. “No! Schipp, you can’t have her help. I’m funnier!”

“Taube’s shot rolls around the rim, but doesn’t go in. McCall goes for the rebound. Denied by Schnauel, who delivered a monster block to the Bees’ co-captain,” Chris relayed, waving off YoYo’s complaint while conducting play-by-play. “Adamson recovered the loose ball for GC…and hits a scorching pass to Gilman for an easy two at the other end.”

“That was on Naylor for not getting back in time to cut off the passing lane, and he knows it,” Zara noted, earning a fist pump from Robin and Zoey. “Oh, no.”

“More like oof, Miss Ossai. That dejection by the Bees’ usual sixth man just carried over as he failed to see a pass coming from Cooke. Instead, it went straight into the arms of Fiske for the Mules, who took two steps to his left to drain an open three,” Chris picked up. “An embarrassing series of plays coming out of the timeout, now has the Flapping Bees down 31-16.”

“There goes our winning streak,” Robin muttered.

“Fight! You’re supposed to be fighters. Fight, dammit!”

“Whoa, easy there, Winnie,” Zoey told her usually optimistic friend, while Robin covered her laughing. “We can’t give up yet.”

“Sean should be helping Schipp!” Saylor exclaimed, jumping up as if she’d been struck by lightning.

“Duh!” YoYo sounded, slapping her forehead loudly.

“Don’t kill the last brain cell, Fuentes,” Jacqui warned before throwing her hands up defensively as Harley glanced over at her.

“Go up there and kick Zara down here. This is your moment, Sir,” Saylor purred, slipping her tongue out to tease Sean’s earlobe.

“Yeah, you played basketball with Jayden and—”

‘No, hot happening. I already had a moment tonight; thanks to you girls,” Sean complained, still feeling humiliated over the Dr. Sean moment. “I don’t need any more attention.”

“Talk about unfashionably late,” Billy Clawfoot remarked.

Sitting around him, Digg, Stewart, and several other baseball players agreed. As more people on their side of the bleachers caught wind of what he meant, additional comments flowed.

“Pathetic,” Lux said, leading Quilla to say, “****.”

“Whoa!” Warrick Warman responded, ready to hurl an insult at the older Bumble Girls, but a raised hand from Dawson stopped him.

“Don’t people like Austin anymore?” a sophomore wide receiver asked.

“Watch what you say next?” a sophomore lineman warned, glancing at his future QB for any advice about this year’s. Dawson didn’t know what to say, so he kept quiet.

“Loser,” YoYo hissed, watching as Austin took his sweet time arriving at the game.

“Asshole should’ve been suspended, not Jesse,” Zoey said, garnering agreement from many around her.

Even worse, the former star quarterback milked his remaining fame, working the adults in the front seats like a politician, shaking their hands and sharing laughs. With his father, Orrin, running for mayor, several of his classmates pictured a horrid future in which Austin would follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“What?”

“No way.”

“He wouldn’t…He is!”

With part of the spectators focused on Austin, a number of them gasped as he continued past the Honey Hollow High seating sections until he reached the area taken over by the visitors from Guzzle Crossing. Then, to the shock and disgust of many, Austin started up the stands, only to stop to hug and kiss the cheek of a golden blonde before sitting beside her.

“Sellout!” Billy yelled.

“Traitor!” Digg shouted, covering his mouth partially while looking in the opposite direction.

“I always told you that Rusk was a bitch,” Kessler reminded, twenty feet away from the baseball team where he sat with a decent number of football players.

“Is he dating that Carlise girl?” Winkie asked, wondering if he’d missed a new development on Nosy Nectar.

“Nah, he’s been doing this with several girls from other schools,” Xavier Glove pointed out.

“Likely trying to recover from getting dumped by Lacey and rejected by Bianca,” Kona Sango suggested. “It ain’t working.”

“No. It just draws more attention to the bans the two squads and the Bumble Girls put on dating him,” Kessler added before wincing at the action on the court. “C’mon! Take Conway out.”

"Dribble, dribble, shoot, shoot, get that ball in the hoop!" Yumi clapped, urging her fellow squadmates to join her cheer.

“It’s looking pretty hopeless,” Roxie admitted, checking the scoreboard. Denny’s terrible turnover not only led to him getting pulled, but also put the score at 38-20 with 2:27 left on the clock.

“Nothing is hopeless!” Yumi cried, causing Lacey to agree. The petite redhead nudged Rory to join in while Kaitlin sighed.

Basket, basket, we want a basket!
Dribble it (clap-clap), pass it (clap-clap), we want a basket!
Down the floor, raise the score!
Take it to the hoop!
S-C-O-R-E, score Bees, score!

“And there you have the whistle to put an end to a miserable first half for your Flailing Bees,” Chris announced a short time later. “Heading into the locker rooms, the score is 43-26 with the Mighty Mules leading Honey Hollow on their own home court. Branton Fiske, aka The Smirker, leads both teams with 21 points. Seriously, somebody needs to knock him on his ass.”

“You might not want to condone **** on-air, Chris,” Zara replied.

“Whatever. A pretty pathetic showing if you ask me.”

“True, Schipp. This poor effort might lend more credence to rumors about Coach Grimm retiring at the end of the year,” Zara speculated. “Uh, did you want to bring up the 1st Half highlights for Honey Hollow?”

“Why bother? The Bees looked as confused as a goat on Astro Turf out there,” Schipper responded. “Honestly, the highlights of the half were Austin Rusk turning heel finally, and the revelation that Sean Tarver has a woodpecker issue.”

“Hey! Is that necessary?” Sean yelled, causing the Babybees to console him.

“Don’t worry, Whitney will breathe life into it again,” Yanet called over, eliciting chuckles while confusing her younger sister.

Across the gymnasium, the cheer captain had another embarrassing ineptitude on her mind as she stomped toward the locker room. Muttering under her breath about “Unbelievable” and “Not on my watch,” she almost made it to the tunnel before Topez started yelling.

“Whitney! Stop! Whitney! Miss Diamond, don’t make me–”

“What?!” the enraged blonde roared before wincing at whom she screamed at.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Topaz questioned, although she knew the answer. “You can’t just march into the boys’ locker room.”

“They need a real tongue-lashing, not whatever coach crap that Grimm tosses out.”

“That is not your job at the moment,” Topaz said, gently grabbing the irate captain’s arm to turn her around. “Yours is to get the crowd on their side, and you can bark advice all you want once they return from the locker room. Girls are not allowed inside there.”

“It’s a friggin’ stupid rule,” Whitney grumbled, slowly returning to the sideline with her coach.

“It’s enforced for a reason,” Topaz said, not mentioning past events that led to an immediate suspension for violating the rule. “Now go lift your squad’s spirits before worrying about the team. Also, show some support for the Sugarbees.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Whitney muttered, heading off to join her squad. Instantly, her voice rose to a shout upon spotting a junior slipping away. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“The girls’ locker room,” Greta Ascher replied meekly. “I have to tinkle.”

Margo’s sidekick and the clumsiest cheerleader, who had been unofficially voted the most annoying squad member, Greta, had been assigned as Fern’s big cheersister as Whitney didn’t want to deal with either of them. The pair drove the impatient varsity captain bonkers.

“No! You need to learn to hold it,” Whitney reminded about a past directive.

“Um, maybe you should let her,” Kaitlin suggested.

“It’s the nice thing to do,” Lacey prodded.

“No! She needs to learn to watch her water intake. It’s not hot in here,” Whitney noted.

“But do we really want a repeat of last year’s game at Beakburg?” the elder Beal sister asked. The poorest town in the region, Beakburg’s wonky furnace system often turned its cramped gym into a sauna. A fact that led to an incident last year when Greta, as a Babybee, was unable to hold it in. “Remember the drive home?”

“Ugh! But we’re not sharing a bus for a long drive tonight,” Whitney pointed out.

“I barely leaked!” Greta defended.

“Whit, be nice,” Lacey prodded.

“Fine! Go take a piss, Greta!” Whitney shouted, alerting most of the people in the gym to the bathroom break.

After having slid over toward the varsity squad with Topaz, Kizzy immediately hurried away to hide from Whitney’s wrath.

"Hustle, hustle, use your muscles!" Yumi cheered on Greta before switching to another cheer she wanted to use in the second half. "When you're up, you're up! When you're down, you're down! When you're messing with the Fighting Bees, you're upside down!"

“Alright, who gave her sugar?” Cat challenged, already sick of having to ask this question every few weeks. “We don’t need this tonight.”

“Uh, isn’t it obvious?” Aurora asked.

“Basically right in front of your face, Cat,” Roxie added.

“What the hell are you talking about?” the co-captain questioned.

“Geez, both our cheer officers have lost their marbles tonight,” Kaitlin mumbled, getting a confused yet confident nod from Yumi. “Dammit, Cat, what’s happening in the commons? There is a bake sale, and while it’s the Sugarbees, who helped bake treats for the rival squad?”

“Me! I did!” Yumi cheered, hopping up and down. “Did someone else help?”

“No. You’re special in this way,” Lacey replied, patting her friend’s arm. However, the petite redhead stiffened as she noticed an expression off to the side. “Uh-oh. Miss Zee doesn’t look comfortable. What’s Bianca got planned for halftime?”

“No clue,” Roxie replied, sharing a worried look with Aurora, who recalled Delilah having some vague concerns about tonight.

“I don’t like it. Something is off,” Caterina declared, slowly studying the formation that the dance squad split into. “I can feel trouble coming.”

“Ooh! Cat’s kitty sense is tingling,” Yumi noted, in an excited, yet hushed voice.

“We use that phrase for other things,” Lacey clarified delicately.

“She means it's for Bad Cat stuff,” Kaitlin added, causing the most innocent cheerleader to nod sagely.

“****!” Dreama blurted out, as if suddenly waking from a trance.

“Huh?” Joyelle Robinson sounded, glancing warily at her fellow junior beside her.

“I overheard them…while in the bathroom,” Dreama admitted.

“What kind of ****?” Lacey inquired, her eyes widening as Yelena, not Bianca, took the point position. “Oh, crap. This is about New Year’s.”

“What are you…Oh, right,” Cat said, realizing she’d played her own part in getting **** on the Sugarbees, who had struck to show up the Jennets’ lap dance performance on Tarver.

“Um, is it me or does Yelena’s uniform look tighter than usual?” Uma asked, sitting up in the crowd with her fellow Babybees. That the shyest of them all brought up the point led everyone, including Mercedes and Cadence, to study the dance squad’s blonde sex kitten.

“Damn, you might be right,” YoYo said. “That has to be someone else’s uniform.”

“Her tits are just out there and shouting hello,” Saylor noted, as the music’s bass started.

I know you like me (I know you like me)
I know you do (I know you do)
That's why whenever I come around
She's all over you
And I know you want it (I know you want it)
It's easy to see (It's easy to see)
And in the back of your mind, I know
You should be -uckin' with me (Ah)

“Not much of a clean edit,” Chris laughed, but most of the guys around him were too mesmerized by Yelena strutting toward the other end of the bleachers. The short blonde’s high steps had her ample bosom threatening to spill from the black uniform top with gold trim.

“She’s heading toward Guzzle Crossing,” Zara said, having left Schipper’s side to rejoin her friends.

“More like the Jennets,” Beatrice amended.

“Dammit, Kizzy has a front row seat to this,” YoYo moaned, now wishing she’d been punished too.

Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
Don't cha?
Don't cha?

Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me?
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me?
Don't cha? (Ah)
Don't cha?

“Wow, Yelena is taunting them,” Lacey said, watching with big eyes as her classmate enchanted every man in the building. Camera phones came out, even among several young women who wanted tips for the bedroom.

“They’re performing to a new song. It’s not one of our moms’ old routines,” Yumi said, excited over witnessing a new performance enough that she practically shoved Cat. “I think it’s from that group Kizzy said you belong to.”

Confirming some of the rumors about how she easily seduced taken men, the former gymnast performed what many saw as a striptease without removing any clothes. After beginning with hip rolls, Yelena shifted those circular motions into a smooth, wave-like motion that passed through her toned, athletic figure. Starting from her head, the body rolls traveled down through that ample chest to her hips, while she stood in one place.

Shifting slightly, Yelena smirked slightly over at Bianca, who led the other Sugarbees through a series of seductive, yet less risqué moves. Timing the routine perfectly, the blonde bombshell resumed her enthrallment by isolating her movements to a chest slink, which she enhanced by making circles with her toned ribcage.

“Eh, it’s nothing,” Cat said, grading the performance while scowling at her rival’s show.

Caterina’s attempt to downplay the seductive dance strained her willpower enough that a facial tic appeared when Yelena swung around, using the sharp turn to perform a hair whip that snapped. Carrying through the momentum, Yelena bent over so that her toned ass faced the rival crowd before her head rocketed up to create another hair whip. Finally, she finished the sequence by dropping into the splits.

Scattered ohs and ahhs sounded amongst the spectators.

What Yelena did next while on the floor had any remaining jaws drop, and tongues wag.

Fight the feelin' (Fight the feelin')
Leave it alone (Leave it alone)
'Cause if it ain't love (Oh)
It just ain't enough to leave a happy home (Uh-uh, uh-uh)
Let's keep it friendly (Let's keep it friendly)
You have to play fair (You have to play fair, yeah)
See, I don't care, but I know
She ain't gon' wanna share (Ah, ah-ah), ooh, oh

Dry-humping the hardwood, at first, the short, busty blonde launched into a series of moves that displayed the amazing flexibility that she had maintained since transitioning from gymnastics to dancing. The blonde breathtaker used a series of floor slides and bridge rolls, arching her back in at different degrees to leave the floor while thrusting her various curves out.

All the while, Yelena's bewitching gray eyes one by one met the gazes of the visiting men, captivating them. Still, the siren call didn't just affect the men. No, seeing payback for the imagined slight bestowed on her squad's soil during New Year's Eve, the devious diva made sure to stare for several long and uncomfortable moments with each Jennet she recognized, holding their captain's gaze the longest. Furthermore, Yelena adopted Bianca's attitude, using her hard eyes to let Austin, who sat next to Astoria, know that this body was one he'd never touch.

“Oh! This is about you, Sir Sean!” Saylor yelled, realizing where the beef likely started, despite her getting stuck at the Bumble party that night. “Isn’t it?”

“Totally. Kizzy is so jealous right now,” YoYo said, holding up her phone.

“Don’t encourage them,” Harley responded, sighing as she read her horny friend’s message.

“Newsflash! Dr. Sean has signs of life!” Saylor announced.

If you were my own man
Maybe next lifetime (Maybe next lifetime)
Possibly (Possibly)
Until then, old friend, your secret is
Safe with me (Shh, hot)

“The next school board meeting should be a treat,” Daisy remarked. “I bet Hester Goodley and the FMU will be out in full **** over this outrageous behavior.”

The school reporter/staff manager waited for her younger brother to say anything about the founder of Family & Morality United, an organization that aggressively promoted conservative family values in the Honey Hollow region. Hester's daughter, Prudence, a classmate of Daisy's, had already been making more waves in the past few weeks with her school's Purity Club.

“I bet Rammy will be disappointed that she missed this performance…or not,” the dirty blonde corrected, knowing the strawberry blonde could be prudish at times. A glance at her brother revealed why he’d turned silent. “Dex, cover that!”

“Wha––Oh!” Dexter sounded, covering the tent in his pants with his arm. “Sorry.”

“You will be if I tell Norah about this,” Daisy threatened.

Nearby, Principal Manske performed a similar move, adjusting his pants before nodding in approval at the semi-embarrassed nurse/dance coach. Wanda had allowed this performance despite her doubts. She just hoped she didn’t get fired. Clearly, her boss loved seeing his student in that manner, but his bosses might be another story.

“We won’t be shown up in our own gym,” Cat vowed.

“Isn’t it a fieldhouse?” Yumi questioned.

“I think Yelena was showing up the Jennets, not us,” Roxanne pointed out, causing her co-captain to swing around with a snarl.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! It’s that time of year again at Monty’s Car Jamboree!. Thumb Your Noses at the Fat Cats! It’s the monthly Give The Big O & TR Across The Street Your Finger Sale! The first five customers get the giant foam finger to wave at Monty’s Monsterous Cousins!”

“Well, I’m sorry for those of you listening to this podcast at home. I know, 43-26 sounds awful, but you missed a spectacular display from neither team a few seconds ago. You’d better rush over to Nosy Nectar ‘cause you gotta catch the scorching performance by our very own Sugarbees. Let’s hope it lights a fire under…Oh, hell! The Bees missed it while in the locker room,” Chris realized, as the team exited the tunnel.

“It certainly seems to have lit a fire under the cheer squad. I mean, goddamn, look at Whitney and Caterina work their bodies,” a new voice said, joining the podcast for the second half. “Damn, does anyone know if they have pumpkin treats at the bake sale? ‘Cause I’m feenin’ for a big ol’ pair of pumpkins right now, while watching Diamond shake hers.”

“Eww!” Winnie squealed, causing several Babybees to laugh.

“Seth,” Robin admonished, from a few seats away.

“Hmm, yours might do, Little Ridge,” he replied, eyeing up the volleyball player’s large pair.

“Yes, for our regular listeners, my cringeworthy friend, Seth Francy, has joined us for the second half. Let’s hope he remembers to behave, or the school district is going to complain…again,” Schipper said, watching the teams set up for the tip-off. “Also, thanks to Zara Ossai for joining us. An additional shoutout for her quick fingers and finding out that a 17-point deficit is not the largest that Honey Hollow High has ever overcome. Sadly, it’s been a long time since that 22-point comeback in 1952, when a team captained by Hudson Hollister stormed back to upset Blackbridge South.”

“Is that your ancestor, Sid?” Temple asked, causing the Bumble Boy to blush as a dozen cute sophomores all turned to admire him.

“A great-great-something uncle,” Sidney admitted sheepishly.

Dixon Solis won the tip-off, slapping the ball over to Jayden Cooke, who started a passing clinic for the next several trips up and down the floor. Tyler Blick drained a jumper, Jayden stole a pass, Louis McCall hit a layup, and grabbed a rebound minutes later. Back and forth the teams went, trading shots, turnovers, and fouls.

“Oh…my…Downtown!” Schipper screamed as Dixon drove with authority to slam the ball in.

Unfortunately, after the slam dunk, the Fighting Bees had hit seven straight shots, but only managed to cut the lead down by 5 points, following a 15-10 run. After a frenzied, fast-break pace, Coach Marr called a timeout to rotate in four new players with the scoreboard reading 53-41.

As the referee blew the whistle, Topaz turned to watch the varsity squad run in from the sidelines to lead the crowd in a cheer. Or at least that’s what she had expected; it was the regular move at home games, and the mini-run could use the crowd support to sustain it. Unknowingly, the English teacher had failed to notice the development that caused Kizzy to grin several minutes ago.

Instead, strawberry blonde found the court empty while Whitney and Caterina continued to gesture toward the upper bleachers on the other side of the gym. Following the direction of their interest, Topaz muttered a curse under her breath before immediately scanning the area for her daughter. Snapping her fingers at Tuesday, she motioned for the JV coach to put a stop to the distraction: Yolanda and Saylor rubbing their bosoms blatantly along Sean’s arms. Next, Topaz swung around to bark an order at Whitney. When the blonde captain ignored her again, the coach decided that she’d had enough of the insubordination tonight and tried another tactic.

“Margo, lead the squad out!”

“Need to clear your head of stress? Looking to improve your stretching? Maybe you want to increase flexibility when it counts? Or you just want to increase your stamina for those long nights? I’m Jade, one of the elite trainers at Sashay Studio. I’m ready and willing to help with your needs, whether they be yoga, fitness-dance, pole-dancing, or–”

“Sorry to break into our sponsor, but a second competition has broken out in the Honey Hollow Fieldhouse,” Schipp revealed from the second-to-last row of bleachers. “After Captain Whitney Diamond and Co-Captain Caterina Quill failed to perform a basic cheer during the timeout, Coach Brass turned to junior, and everyone’s worst timeline cheer captain for next year, Margo Lintz, to lead the squad in a quick performance. Needless to say, it has not gone over well with the squad’s seniors.”

“Jesus, that slap sounded like it was next to us,” Ryne pointed out, referring to Cat’s response to Margo giving her an order.

“It was only to her arm. Quill showed restraint,” Seth noted, earning nods from most of the watching Babybees.

“Can she do that?” Temple asked her sister, unclear about cheerleader rules. “Just take over.”

“She can if Coach Brass ordered it,” Beatrice answered before leaning over to punch YoYo’s arm and slap the back of Saylor’s head. “Knock it off. This is all your fault. Tuesday is headed this way.”

“Déjà vu, Fern?” YoYo asked, causing the demoted Fairwater Junior High captain from last year to pale. Then, her face scrunched up in anger before turning to glare murderously at Zoey, the person who unofficially took over the captaincy.

“I didn’t say anything,” the younger Gibble sister pointed out.

“Stop that!” Harley ordered, covering YoYo’s mouth with her hand. “Do you want Fern to hurt herself worse? Don’t answer that.”

"Ooh! And Limbreck is down. Repeat: Limbreck is down!" Chris called as Kaitlin tripped the surly Elaine.

“I didn’t see anything,” Seth declared. “No, I mean, I didn’t see anything if any authorities want to know.”

“Elaine has had that coming for a long time,” Zara noted, earning a nod from Uma.

“Medic! We need a medic!” Yumi shouted, ignoring Lacey’s attempts to silence her.

“With the game now delayed, coming back from a timeout for a moment, Principal Manske has gone over to calm the situation. Let’s see how our intrepid school authority figure handles this matter,” Schipp told his audience.

“Mackin’ Manske can’t be thrilled with this interrupting his scoring phone numbers from Guzzle Crossing ladies,” Seth cracked, with most of the crowd around him murmuring confirmation. “He looked to be setting up a roadside motel appointment with that one Guzzle cougar.”

“Dude, watch it. I gotta keep Manske happy, or I’ll get censored again,” Chris warned, covering his microphone for a moment before resuming his narrative.

“Francy, knock it off,” YoYo yelled.

“Only if I get to play with your string, Fuentes.”

Topaz ordered the varsity squad to stop fighting, and with Manske apparently—and surely mistakenly—grabbing one of Kaitlin’s breasts, the civil cheer battle ended before it turned into a full-fledged war. This allowed the game to resume while the cheer coach reminded her two officers of their responsibilities and their status as role models.

“I doubt any of us would act like…Crap, Cadence, you can’t fight your cheermates, got that?” Zara asked.

“Haha. As if you’ll make my squad next year,” the surly cheer royal proclaimed. “Oww! What the hell, Gibble?”

“Don’t make me return to the pom-pom life, brat,” Zoey warned, earning cheers from Babybees and their friends. Many a male sophomore hoped the hot auburn-haired beauty would return.

Whether the four substitutions caused it, or it could be the distraction of watching a catfight among the opposing cheerleaders, the Mighty Mules came out of the extended break flat. As for the Bees, they seemed to have found their fighting spirit after watching their cheerleaders show more than they had tonight. Down by twelve, the team also found a hot hand.

“That’s a three from Tyler Blick!” Schipp called.

“Over-rated! Over-rated!” Yumi chanted, receiving a nod from her coach.

Adamson banked in a ten-footer off the board before Louie took a hard foul, sending him to the free-throw line. Making the first one, he missed the second, leading Schnaul to grab the rebound for a quick flick to Fiske, who pushed the ball up the court before taking a shot.

"Airball!" Yumi screamed, sending the crowd into a short chant before they roared as Tyler swished another three-pointer in.

The sweet, innocent, and naive teenager began to mercilessly heckle Branton Fiske, the star player of Guzzle Crossing. Having never seen this side before during football season, Rory and Roxie began to get distracted by the loveable trash-talker. As did the four juniors, minus Dreama, who seemed to be in her own world. Eventually, Cat caught wind of their distracted demeanor and started barking orders at the six. As Yumi's oldest friends, Caterina and Kaitlin had witnessed this competitive side before, as had Kizzy, who grinned as Whitney took ownership by leading organized cheers. The Babybee also caught Topaz's proud smile.

“You planned this…didn’t you?” Kizzy asked, realizing that the experienced varsity coach had ignited a spark in the cheer squad by giving Margo that temporary command.

“I’ve dealt with crazier and wilder squads in my many years,” Topaz stated, turning to wink at the Babybee.

“You’re a puppetmaster!” Kizzy exclaimed, suddenly awed and frightened of the devious mastermind. Once Topaz’s attention returned to the game, she immediately messaged Harley.

Back and forth, the two teams moved rapidly up and down the court. Defense seemed to have been forgotten as each team traded shots. However, with Blick catching the hot hand from deep on seemingly every other possession, the Fighting Bees slowly chipped away at the lead. Gilman tried to match Blick’s momentum, but he missed a couple of threes.

With the score now at 65-61 in favor of the Mighty Mules, Fiske stole the blow from Louie, sending it cross-court to Adamson, who passed to Schnaul before he kicked it out to a charging Gilman.

“Solis throws the hammer down with the mighty block. Get that weak stuff out of here, donkey!” Chris screamed, not noticing Seth drop a “Fuck yeah” on-air.

With the ball out of bounds by Dixon on the block, Coach Marr took a timeout to set up a play for the in-bounds pass. Still down by four, the squad once known as the Lady Bumblebees rushed onto the court with a newfound pep in their step.

Beat the Mules!
Dix for the Vic!
Slap that Mule mutt!
Crack that Blick whip!
B-U-Z-Z. Buzz! That’s our battle cry!
Buzz, buzz, buzzzz!

“We’re back from the break. Coach Grimm has made several substitutions, with Taube and Pumphrey giving McCall and Naylor a breather. Guzzle Crossing gets the ball into Adamson, who spins past Blick for the layup to extend the Mule lead to 6 points,” Schipp relayed.

“Blick knows he screwed up, patting his chest as if to say my bad, which it is,” Seth added.

"Heat check!" Chris screamed, following a Cooke pass to Blick, who found immediate redemption, knocking down another three-pointer with Fiske in his face. Then, the podcast host asked, “Hey, where are they going?”

“Beats me,” Seth replied, looking around for help, as the Babybees all hurried down the bleachers.

“You can’t guard him, sucka!” Yumi screamed, pointing at Fiske, who seemed a bit thrown off by the constant barrage of trash talk.

“Who’s got the hot hand? Tyler’s got the hot hand!”

“What the?” Whitney questioned as she turned to see the Babybees chanting, walking in formation to join them.

“Who’s got the hot hand? Tyler’s got the hot hand!”

“Apparently, we have a new nickname forming in ‘Hot Hands’ Blick,” Schipp announced, calling the action as the Mules countered with a basket from Gilman to push the lead back to five.

"Boom-shaka-laka!" Lacey attempted to start a fun chant, but swiftly gave up after a glare from an all-business Yumi.

"BANG! Captain Cooke hits a mid-ranger jumper, and the Bees are back down by just three again,” Schipp announced. “Whoa…the Mules are in trouble…Damn! Cooke and Taube nearly trapped Adamson in a ten-second violation. Oh, no, the Mules have a man advantage now. Gilman to Schnaul, who finds a cutting Fiske for…Ouchtown! The ref just called a charge on Fiske, who bounced off of Dixon hard enough to send him to the floor.”

"Mama, said knock you out!” Yumi yelled, pointing at Fiske and at the floor.

“Are you kidding me? Blick drains a deep three-pointer, and the Bees have fought all the way back to tie the score at 69 apiece. Coach Grimm has decided to take a timeout…I guess to put his rested starters back in,” Chris speculated.

“Questionable move if you ask me,” Seth said, with several of their friends chiming in their agreement.

"Warm up the bus! You’re out of here!” Yumi yelled, running down behind the announcer’s table to keep talking trash. Whitney immediately gestured for the Babybees to grab her.

“You’re getting your dick sucked tonight, Blick…if we win!” Caterina shouted, causing practically the whole arena to gasp.

“Cat!” Roxie gasped.

“Uh, not by me,” the bottle blonde denied. “Katie and Shortstuff are newly single. They can do it…for team morale.”

“It’s a good thing that Yums lost her mind and missed you losing yours,” Kaitlin pointed out, causing Whitney to nod.

Little did they know what trouble tonight’s 81-75 victory would cause.

---

AN: Hopefully, this chapter came out okay. I've definitely been burnt out for some time, and these last two chapters have been rough to write.