The sisters shunned the pledges the following day because of their rebellion. This surprised the girls. They weren't sure if they liked it. On the one hand, they welcomed the break from the intensity. But on the other hand, they felt bad when no one would talk to them. Only Barb spoke, but she kept her words brief.
"They're upset with you. Give them a day or so," Barb said.
"The sisters are only pissed because we beat them at their game," Claudia chuckled once Barb left.
"Yeah, and Mistress Shawna has been side-eyeing me since I entered the campus center," Hana replied, glancing toward the ice cream counter.
"It's an act. Play along with it," Claudia reassured her.
"I was hoping to talk to Sister Keisha about Marla," Chloe said, looking disappointed.
"You can talk to her later. Besides, I think Sister Keisha would rather think about something else. She looked pretty grumpy when I saw her earlier," Kennedy replied. "Tamara, is your set still intact?" she added, grinning at Tam.
"Yeah, Molly broke up the argument after we left. It's all good," Tamara answered, giving an okay sign.
The problem was that things were not all good. While the pledges headed to class, Keisha spoke with Shawna at the ice cream counter. Shawna kept handing Keisha samples of different flavors to ease her anger, but it wasn't working.
"You don't know how close I came to throwing down with her," Keisha said, eating a sample of rainbow sherbet.
"You gotta be careful with ol' Judo Judy," Shawna warned.
"I'd like to see her try and throw my thick ass!" Keisha continued as she accepted a small, plastic spoonful of a flavor called Minty Mountains. It comprised mint with chunks of white chocolate. Keisha didn't pay attention to what Shawna handed her. When she ate it, her mood improved. "Damn, this one is good," she said.
"That's a new flavor. I ordered a shipment."
"You can do that?"
"I pretty much run this place," Shawna said, waving her hand.
While she said this, Hailey joined them, bringing a smile to Keisha's face. "Hailey! Are you okay?" Keisha asked.
"Yeah, I'm much better, but I heard you fought with Marla," Hailey replied.
Keisha looked at Shawna before answering. She didn't know how to respond because she didn't want to worry Hailey, but her hesitance only made Hailey look more concerned. "We didn't fight. It was an argument," Keisha said.
"Molly Langley made it sound worse than that."
"It's all good, Hail. I'll avoid Marla for a few days," Keisha assured her. Then, Keisha changed the subject before Hailey could continue. "Are we doing anything for the homecoming parade?"
"We don't have the time or funds for a float," Hailey replied.
"I could drive my car in the parade. Hang a KMA banner on it and have the pledges walk behind us handing out candy or something," Shawna said.
"You just want to show off your car," Keisha laughed. Shawna opened her mouth to deny it but closed it again and shrugged.
***
When parade day arrived, a horrific discovery greeted them. The school placed KMA after Phi-O in the procession, and Shawna had to drive behind Phi-O's large, gaudy float. They created paper mache heads of three of Harrison University's important figures. The left head was the founder, Alexander Welker, the middle was Dean Bledsoe, and the right was the school's president, Martin Cash. The sisters gawked at the sight in disgust.
"I'm going to be sick. Marla made a float to kiss Bledsoe's ass?" Shawna said. "And I have to drive behind it!"
Shawna, Felicia, Hailey, and Keisha rode in the car while Barb and the pledges followed them, giving candy to the kids watching the parade. Barb's painted KMA banner hung over the back window, and Kennedy carried a KMA flag. Their presentation wasn't a float, which seemed to annoy Marla. She sat on the back of Phi-O's trailer, glaring at them disapprovingly. Keisha met her stare with equal force. Their behavior made Hailey uneasy.
"Keish, don't stare too deeply into the abyss," Shawna said.
"I'll stop when she stops," Keisha replied before flipping Marla the bird. Marla returned the gesture.
"Oh, that's helpful," Hailey muttered.
"Sorry, Hail. The urge overtook me."
Shawna and Hailey shook their heads in unison, but Keisha didn't notice. She was too busy trying to win the staring contest. Meanwhile, Chloe spoke with Barb as they walked.
"I'm worried about this situation," Chloe told Barb. "I've seen Marla like this enough times. This is quickly escalating."
"Can you talk to her?" Barb asked.
"I've tried, but she won't listen. The Tamara incident already pissed her off before she argued with Keisha."
Barb looked at Marla while Chloe said this. She glanced in time to catch the middle finger exchange, which made her wince. Barb diverted her gaze to find anything else to focus on, but she landed on the crude sculpture of Bledsoe's head. The sight made her think about what Chloe had told her earlier.
"Something has been bothering me," Barb said. "If your parents aren't bailing Marla out anymore, why does Bledsoe always bend to her will?"
"I've been wondering the same thing for a while," Chloe replied. "Mrs. Cynthia said Marla spends a lot of time in his office. I didn't know that was happening."
"Do you think Marla has some kind of dirt on Bledsoe?"
"Maybe, but what would it be?"
"If we found that out, we might solve one of our problems," Barb laughed.
"I think I might know somebody who could snoop for us," Chloe whispered.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Easy now. We don't need to make more drama."
"It's Kelsey. She already wants to find some way of getting back at Marla. We could ask her to help."
Barb hated to admit the idea intrigued her. She was ready to dismiss it until she saw the ugly Bledsoe head again. Something about it broke any resolve she had left. "Okay, let's do it, but are you okay with Kelsey prying into Marla's business?" Barb asked.
"Marla won't open up to me if she wants to keep it a secret. I hate all of this, but we need to do something to stop her," Chloe replied, looking queasy.
***
Later, after the homecoming football game, Keisha returned to the campus center to grab a quick snack before going home. She took a shortcut between the tennis courts. Keisha had to walk through the darkness because they turned the lights off when the courts weren't in use. She hated this and hurried to reach the other side. Unfortunately, a noise stopped her. She heard movement behind her and turned.
"Who's there?" Keisha asked, but no one responded. She waited a few more seconds and continued once she thought the coast was clear, but she heard the sound again. When Keisha glanced this time, she spotted somebody wearing all black with a ski mask. "Hey, I don't have any money," Keisha said, raising her hands defensively.
The figure approached her, backing Keisha until she ran into the chain-link fence around the courts. She thought she was in front of the path and cursed when she realized she was trapped. As Keisha moved toward the opening, the figure darted and reached for her. Keisha instinctively swung a fist, but the assailant grabbed her arm and flipped her with one quick movement. When Keisha hit the ground, she knew who had attacked her. Only one person could throw her with such ease.
"Judo Judy, I hate you," Keisha groaned. The groan turned into a breathless grunt as Marla kicked her in the gut twice. She had Keisha pinned against the fence, meaning she had no room to avoid more kicks.
Once Marla knocked all the wind out of her, she bent down and hissed, "That's what you get, traitor! Don't mess with me." Then, Marla disappeared into the night, leaving Keisha writhing in pain. Scrapes littered her body, and she was sure she at least had bruised ribs because it hurt to breathe.
***
Hailey stormed through the administration building like a woman on a mission after meeting with Keisha in the infirmary. The other sisters struggled to keep up with her. She didn't even bother with the elevator because she figured it would take too long for her liking. Hailey climbed the steps instead, taking them two at a time. They wondered how she didn't trip. Once she reached Bledsoe's office, his secretary stood up.
"You can't go in there without an appointment, Hailey," the secretary said.
Hailey ignored her and shoved the double doors open, making Bledsoe jump. He glared when he saw her. The look turned to confusion and slight fear as Hailey planted her hands on his desk and stared at him.
"Do something about Marla, now!" Hailey yelled.
"We don't know it was her. Miss Miller's account said the attacker wore a mask," Bledsoe replied, shaking off his initial fright and fixing Hailey with a stern expression.
"Bullshit! You know it was her!"
"Lang..."
"Shut up about the language, and don't you dare give me that food on the table speech. We know Marla's parents aren't threatening to pull donations anymore. You have no reason to protect her!"
"No, we have no evidence to convict her! I can't punish her based on a hunch!"
"Who else knows Judo around here?"
"Plenty of people! There's a school across town!"
"You're unbelievable," Hailey muttered, shaking her head. She turned to look at the wall because the sight of Bledsoe disgusted her. However, somebody else picked up her slack.
"Nice watch. Did Marla buy it for you?" Shawna asked, flicking the watch on Bledsoe's wrist. It was gold with diamonds around the face.
"You're out of line, Miss Davidson!" Bledsoe barked.
"No, you're out of line!" Hailey said as she turned back to Bledsoe, slamming her fist on his desk. She didn't care if he punished them. Hailey wanted to give him a piece of her mind, and she would do it. "You know you're in the wrong here. This is ridiculous."
Bledsoe's nostrils flared, and his eyes widened. Everyone braced for the onslaught. They were sure he was about to disband KMA, but he released his tensions and relaxed. Bledsoe sighed and rubbed his forehead before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I need more evidence, or I can't punish Marla."
"Then launch an investigation," Hailey said.
"I will!" he said. "And in the meantime, here's a peace offering. I will lift KMA's probation."
"How noble of you," Shawna muttered.
"Shawna!" Hailey warned before refocusing on Bledsoe. "Thank you," Hailey said, turning toward the exit.
As they left, Shawna stuck her tongue out at Bledsoe, earning a glare from him and an eye-roll from Hailey. Barb chuckled at the exchange, but she looked at her sister, beaming with pride. "She's back," Barb said.
***
That night, Keisha insisted on still working the haunted house. She didn't want to miss it because it was the final weekend. Hailey admired Keisha's work ethic. She watched her limp as she guided groups through the attraction. However, something else still weighed on Hailey's mind. It was also the night of the Aeternum fall social. Dan was there with Tamara, meaning she couldn't work the haunted house. An HRT actor filled in for her. Hailey swore this wasn't a big deal, but Mrs. Cynthia knew better. She approached Hailey during a break.
"Are you okay?" Cynthia asked.
"I'm fine," Hailey said.
"You can open up to me. I know you aren't fine."
Hailey sat silently and gathered her wits before responding. She tried to find the right words but realized that meant figuring out how she felt. She shook her head a few times before saying, "I love him, but I'm so worried about messing up a good thing. Ruining our friendship would ruin me."
"I understand, but look what it's doing to you. This is affecting your friendship already."
"Kennedy's story scares me. If that happened between Dan and I..."
"Why would it? I hardly remember a time when the two of you even fought. Your recent disagreement was the first in years."
"Yeah, we get along great as friends, but things change when you date."
"They don't have to. Things only change if you decide to change them. Continue what you have, but more intimately."
Hailey thought about what she said and sighed. A smile appeared on Hailey's face. "I thought you promised not to play matchmaker," she said.
"I'm not playing matchmaker. This is about helping you feel better," Cynthia said, rubbing her back.
"Thank you," Hailey cried. "It's just that I'm so..." she started, but she couldn't complete the sentence. "I can't explain it. It's like these feelings..." she began, losing her words once more. Before she could continue, somebody else finished her thoughts. Cynthia and Hailey turned to look at this person in surprise.
"It's like you're afraid of the feelings," Felicia said. "They threaten to overwhelm you. If you lose control of them, you might lose everything," she said, staring off into the distance as she spoke. "But, at the same time, you want to lose control. If you don't let them out, you might explode."
"Felicia?" Hailey asked, but she kept talking as if they weren't there.
A tear trickled down Felicia's cheek while she said, "The thought of destroying what you have is at war with the dream of getting what you want. In the end, no one wins if you don't..." she said, but she stood up instead of saying more. "I-I need to go. There's something I have to do," she mumbled and darted out the door.
"Felicia?" Hailey asked again, getting no response. She watched Felicia run toward the exit.
***
Shawna was outside speaking with Kennedy, who leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette. Kennedy had her hockey mask perched on her head while the chainsaw rested beside her.
"I'm up to 250 points in my notebook. I've pantsed three people, made five fall over, and I think someone wet themselves. It's hard to tell in the dark," Kennedy laughed.
"Do we get to keep that chainsaw after this is over?" Shawna asked.
"I doubt it. Besides, what would you use it for?"
"Oh, no reason. I just wanted it," Shawna said innocently. Upon hearing this, Kennedy scooted the chainsaw away from Shawna, but she tried to be subtle about it. She didn't need to worry because a distraction rounded the corner. Felicia ran up to them, out of breath, and looked at Shawna. "Squeaks, what's wrong?" Shawna asked.
Felicia placed her hands on her knees and breathed deeply before speaking. "Shawna, will you be my date to the Hootenanny?"
"Felicia, we're already..." Shawna said, but she paused as she realized what she had just heard. Shawna's face went blank while she processed the information. Kennedy stifled a laugh because it looked like Shawna's brain had short-circuited. "Did you just ask me to be your date?" Shawna asked.
"Yes," Felicia smiled.
"Not just as friends?"
"No."
"A date date!?"
"Yes," Felicia laughed.
"Of course I will!" Shawna yelled, beaming so brightly she could have lit up the entire HRT building. She laughed joyously and began crying. Shawna hugged Felicia tightly enough to make her groan.
"Are you okay, Mistress Shawna?" Kennedy asked.
"Never better in my life!"