FicWad

A/N: Alright, well here we go with number five. And I promise not to make this note super long like last time, lol. Sorry about that. Hmm, I don't think I actually have anything much to say this time round. Lucky for all you people. I hope you like the chapter, and once again reviews are very much appreciated, so click that little button there. Please and Thank you. Enjoy!


Chapter Five: Monday Morning Chaos


Monday morning started off with a bang, literally, as Herry's breakfast exploded in the microwave. Turned out to be a good thing though, since the power had gone out the night before and nobody's alarm went off. Curses filled the air as they all either dashed downstairs to grab a quick breakfast or into the shower.

Jay was scarfing down a bowl of Cheerios when Theresa bolted in, her attire making him choke. She was wearing a little purple nightgown with yellow flowers that was rather....revealing. Archie pounded on his back, a smirk on his own blushing face. Even he had to admit, Theresa was a very pretty girl. She, however, ignored them, opting instead to whip open the fridge, grab an apple, and bolt back upstairs to the shower. Atlanta had just finished and came thundering down the stairs, still drying her hair roughly with a towel.

"You know, for such small things, those two girls sure are noisy," Herry remarked as Atlanta also grabbed an apple and dashed back upstairs, her speed coming in handy. A sudden high pitched scream interrupted them, and Archie, Jay and Herry all ran upstairs. They reached the third floor, passing Neil coming out of the bathroom, just as Theresa came out of hers in a towel, hair dripping on the floor, a look of outrage on her face.

"What happened? We heard you scream," Jay asked, trying not to stare at her nearly naked form. Her hand clenched into a fist.

"Neil happened," she snarled, walking to the top of the stairs. "NEIL!! You are sooo dead! You used up all the hot water, you self-absorbed ASS!!"

That screamed, she stormed into her room, slamming the door shut, a cry of frustration coming through the wood. The three boys sighed, heads shaking, and went to their own rooms to get dressed. Ten minutes later and they were all piling messily into Herry's truck, bags and clothes thrown everywhere, Theresa braiding her hair in the front seat.

Tires squealed as they whipped into the school parking lot, everyone jumping out just as the first bell rang. One mad dash to the auditorium later, they all sat in the back row, out of breath and attempting to fix their appearances. Atlanta pulled out a brush as Archie zipped up his hoodie. Theresa searched her purse and, sighing in exasperation, leaned over Jay towards Neil.

"Okay, weird as this sounds....Neil can I borrow your compact?" she asked. He stuck his nose in the air.

"I don't know. You were pretty mean to me this morning," he pouted. Theresa's mouth fell open.

"You used up all the hot water! It's your fault I look hideous!" she whispered screeching. He gave her a glance and sighed, tossing her the makeup.

"Well I can't argue with that logic," he said.

"Neil," Jay said warningly. He turned to Theresa. "And you look fine."

"Am I the only one here who finds it weird that, the only person in our group Theresa can borrow makeup from, is a guy?" Odie piped up.

"Oh no. It's definitely weird," Archie agreed. Both in question shrugged as Theresa snapped shut the compact and handed it back to Neil.

"Weird but handy," they both said, triggering a fit of giggles and hopeless groans. A passing teacher glared at them and told them to pay attention to the presentation.

"Ugh, why are we even here? I mean, does anyone actually listen to anything they say?" Atlanta scowled, sinking down into her seat. Archie leaned back with her, feet propped up on the chair in front of him.

"Course not. We should be at home sleeping right now," he sighed, eyes closed.

"Or actually eating breakfast," Theresa chimed, pulling her apple out of her purse. Jay looked at her quizzically.

"Do you just put everything in there?" he asked. She simply nodded, mouth full, still searching for something. She scowled and dug deeper, certain she had put what she needed in there.

"Aha!" she said triumphantly, whipping out a small pack of dental floss. Taking one last bite of her apple, she placed the core and her purse on the floor.

"Dental floss?" Jay asked, an amused smile on his face. She flashed him a smile.

"Ew, Theresa , not here," Atlanta grimaced, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh, Atlanta, honestly. I've got bits of apple stuck in my teeth," Theresa complained.

"So? Can't it wait?" Atlanta frowned.

"Nope," came the muffled reply. Atlanta shook her head and turned to Archie only to find him snoring lightly, head tilted back. She snorted and gestured to Herry on his other side.

"Watch this," she whispered mischievously, pinching Archie's nose shut and covering his mouth with her other hand. Seconds ticked by, slowly growing into a minute. They watched, amused, as his eyes began twitching, forehead creasing in a frown. He began struggling slightly and Herry couldn't help but laugh. Archie's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright, knocking Atlanta's hands away as he gasped for breath. She burst out laughing as he turned to glare at her.

"It was Herry," she giggled, pointing to the strong boy currently turned towards Odie. Archie rolled his eyes.

"Ya right, like I'm gonna believe that," he scoffed, leaning back once more. "Man Atlanta, I was having a really good dream too."

"Bout what?" she asked, shifting her legs up underneath, fully facing her best friend.

"Well, we were all at the beach," he began quietly, tilting his head to look at her. "And I was actually in the water, just kind of floating there, relaxing. Then all of a sudden I got sucked down, and the harder I fought, the faster I sank."

"Aww," Atlanta frowned. "I'm sorry. That's my fault. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Weeellll, I dunno," Archie drawled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He held back a smile as she pouted. So cute, he thought, blushing lightly.

"Aww, please Arch," she mock begged. He sighed in defeat.

"I guess I could," he admitted. She smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Good answer," she laughed as he scowled and fixed his hair. She felt a poke on her shoulder and turned to Theresa.

"If you guys are done flirting, the assembly's done. We can leave now," she grinned as both teens flushed bright red, stammering out their denials as they stood to leave. Everyone filtered into the hallway, looking at the many posted sheets to find their homerooms.

"Looks like we've got homeroom together," Neil said, slinging an arm about Theresa and Jay. "Math, first thing in the morning. Disgusting."

"Hmm, me and Herry have English," Odie said. "I'm not sure which is worse."

"Well I've got gym," Atlanta gloated.

"Lucky. I have Chemistry. Talk about a downer," Archie whined.

"Well I guess we'll all meet up at lunch then," Jay said, turning to go. They all said their goodbyes and wandered away to their respective homerooms. Jay, Neil and Theresa quickly grabbed seats in the back of their class, Jay beside Theresa and Neil in front of him. They never got a chance to talk as the teacher stomped in, yelling for them to be quiet. Schedules were quickly handed out, and before they knew it, they were copying down quadratic equations and being assigned homework.

"Well that stinks. Homework already," Neil complained as they left. "What do you guys have now? I have Art."

"I've got a spare," Jay said, pulling out his schedule. Theresa grinned.

"Great, so do I!" she cried happily. Neil pouted as she linked her arm through Jay's.

"Guess I'll see you two at lunch then. Later," he sighed. Theresa waved and looked up at Jay, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Come on partner. We have plans to discuss," she told him, tugging on his arm. They quickly made their way to the cafeteria, snagging their usual table. Theresa plopped into her seat and looked at Jay expectantly.

"So?" she asked excitedly.

"So....what?" he asked, confused. She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"So. Archie and Atlanta! Did you not see them this morning?" she cried. Jay raised an eyebrow calmly at her outburst.

"Ya....so? I'm not sure where you're going with this," he said, pulling out his math text.

"You're kidding, right?" Theresa looked less than impressed. All she got was a blank stare. "Jay!! They were so flirting with each other!"

"They were? Seemed pretty normal to me," he said, opening his book. Theresa rolled her eyes again and slammed it shut. "Hey!"

"Math can wait. Matchmaking is far more important," she scolded him. "Especially when one's partner doesn't even realize when their subjects are flirting. So. Obviously Archie's still interested in Atlanta."

"Yup, totally," Jay nodded, settling back in his seat.

"Good. Well get this," Theresa giggled, leaning in as if to impart some grand secret upon him. "At the mall I got her to admit that she thinks he's cute."

"And?" Jay waited for more.

"What do you mean, 'and'?" she asked. "This is a big deal Jay."

"Oh, of course. How silly of me," he nodded seriously, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Theresa pouted crossly at him.

"Jay," she growled. "This is serious. Now, you said you would help."

He sighed and looked at her, cross pout still present. He couldn't help it. He threw back his head and laughed at the absurdity of the moment. Theresa gave a disgusted cry and smacked his arm.

"Fine! I'll do it myself!" she cried indignantly, standing up. Jay instantly sobered and grabbed her wrist gently.

"No, wait. I'm sorry Theresa. I promise to start being helpful," he told her, gently tugging her back down. She pouted at him and he smiled. "I promise. So, she thinks he's cute. What next?"

"To be honest...I'm not sure," Theresa confessed. 'Normally I'd suggest them going to a chick flick, or something romantic, but I highly doubt those two could sit through even five minutes of the movie without making fun of it."

"That's for sure," Jay sighed. "Anything girly like that is bound to rejected. And anything competitive will most likely end up with them fighting, which frustrates Archie to no end."

"But not in a good way," Theresa sighed again. Jay frowned.

"There's a good way to be frustrated?" he asked. She giggled at him and winked.

"Sometimes, given the right situation," she smirked insinuatingly. Jay flushed, pretty sure he knew what kind of situation she was thinking of. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. Must not think dirty thoughts about Theresa, he thought. Focus on Archie and Atlanta.

"S-so where does that leave us?" he stammered, looking at the table.

"How bout a horror flick?" Theresa suggested. "I mean, I doubt Atlanta would be all scared and clingy, but they'll definitely both enjoy it. And the scarier the better."

Jay thought about it and nodded as the lunch bell rang. He had seen previews for some new slasher, alien movie, or something like that. He figured they'd enjoy that.

"Sounds good to me. But how are we gonna set them up without making them suspicious?" he asked. She grinned and shifted closer in excitement.

"Easy. We all go together. We just have to make sure that those two sit next to each other. And we can sit next to them, keep an eye on them for future reference," she explained.

"Sounds simple enough. That new one, what is it. Sleep No More? Something like that. It's playing. Wanna go tonight?" Jay suggested as people flooded the cafeteria. Theresa nodded.

"Perfect! It's a date then!" she grinned.

"Ooo, did I hear that right? You guys are going on a date?" came Neil's obnoxious voice. They turned to see all their friends carrying lunch to the table. Jay flushed and Theresa smiled as Atlanta sat next to Archie.

"Yup! We all are," she told them. "Slasher flick, tonight. What do you guys say?"

Mumbles of agreement rose from the table and Theresa stood, grinning in satisfaction.

"Great! Let's go get some food, I'm starved," she said, Jay rising to go with her. They made their way to the line, Theresa trying to contain her glee. She latched onto Jay giddily and he smiled fondly down at her.

"Perfect," she whispered.

Atlanta smiled as she watched them walk away arm in arm.

"You guys think Jay's ever gonna realize how much Theresa likes him?" she asked the remaining four boys.

"I dunno, this is Jay we speak of," Odie smirked.

"True, but she's been flirting with him, like, non-stop since we've gotten here. And, I mean, Jay's still a guy. He has to crack sometime," Atlanta said, smile fading. "He better crack. I'm not too keen on seeing Theresa getting her heart broken by him."

"C'mon Lanta, Jay's not like that. Plus, there are plenty of guys at this school that like Theresa. She'd have no problem finding somebody else," Herry pointed out. Atlanta frowned as she watched the two in line, Jay blushing as Theresa laughed at something, arms still linked.

"Problem is, there's only one Jay, and he's the only one she wants," she sighed. "She likes him an awful lot. Hell, maybe she's even in love with him, I'm not sure. But she was missing him pretty bad over the summer. More than she missed the rest of us. Not that she'd ever admit it. I just don't want either of them getting hurt."

A deep silence fell over the table, thoughts suddenly turning serious as they all took in Atlanta's insight. Feelings and emotions were harder to overcome and deal with than any monster Cronus had ever sent against them. Especially living in such tight quarters with one another; it was like a bomb waiting to explode. Their moment was interrupted though as Jay and Theresa returned with lunch.

"Hey guys. Why so serious all of a sudden?" she smiled lightly, sitting back down.

"Herry dropped some pepperoni on the floor. We're mourning it's untimely passing," Archie said easily. They nodded in understanding and dug into their food. Silence once again overtook the table as they all ate, each lost in their own thoughts. Herry coughed lightly, uncomfortable with the strained silence.

"So, uh, Odie. Who was that girl you were talking to in Bio?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, her name's Robin, she's new here. I was just telling her about the chess club. Seemed interested," Odie told him absently. Herry nodded thoughtfully.

"Soo, guess she's pretty smart then," he drawled, staring into space. "Really cute too."

"Ya, she got some brains, that one. We both have Advanced Physics last period," Odie glanced over, frowning at his big friend's glum expression. He smiled as he thought of something. "I think you should ask her out."

"Huh?" Herry looked up in surprise. "Me? How come? I mean, ya she's super cute, but isn't she kinda more in your league O? I'm just a simple farm boy, not a genius."

"Please man, stop selling yourself short. She was staring at you, like, all class," Odie grinned as Herry's expression brightened.

"Do it Herry. Sounds like she's interested," Theresa urged.

"Well, I guess. I mean, worst she can say is no, right?" he said.

"Exactly. Meet me after last period and you can meet her," Odie smiled as the bell rang again.

"Sure. Hey, you guys don't mind if I ask her to come with us tonight, do ya?" Herry asked anxiously as they stood to leave.

"Of course not. Can't wait to meet her," Theresa said. Jay and Archie nodded.

"Good luck buddy," Archie gave him a slap on the shoulder, turning to go to English with Jay.

"Well, I'm going to go see Persephone after school, so I'll see you guys at home okay?" Theresa told them, shouldering her bag. Everyone nodded and parted ways, calls of encouragement filling the departure.

The rest of the day passed by normally, which in reality was actually quite strange for the seven heroes. Normalcy hadn't been a huge part of their lives in New Olympia so far. The most exciting thing to happen was a freshman getting duct taped to a wall and covered in green Jell-O. Herry sighed as he nervously watched the clock hands tick by, counting down the seconds till he could go meet Robin. He kept repeating 'the worst she can say is no' to himself over and over, but he was really hoping she would say yes instead.

Finally the bell rang, and Herry shot out of the room faster than Atlanta on a rabbit hunt. Odie's class was just down the hall from his, and he slowed as he reached the door, watching for the shorter boy. He wasn't disappointed as Odie and Robin walked out together, Odie glancing around for Herry.

"Hey Odie," he called, pushing through the crowded hallway. Odie turned and waved.

"Hey man. Sup? How was class?" he asked. Herry shrugged.

"Alright I guess," he said, butterflies overtaking his stomach. He smiled down at Robin, the small girl even shorter than Odie. She blushed cutely and gave him a shy smile.

"Ah, that's right, you guys haven't met yet. Robin this is my good pal Herry. Herry, Robin. She just moved here from down south," Odie said, sly grin on his face.

"Hi. Welcome to New Olympia, I guess," Hery chuckled nervously, a hand behind his head. She giggled.

"Why thank you. It's so nice to meet new people," she said, her deep southern accent rolling off her tongue gently. Herry smiled lazily. "The pleasure's all mine, Ah'm sure."

"Well, I dunno bout that," Herry laughed as the three of them walked towards the parking lot. "With a voice like yours, the pleasure will probably be mine before long."

"You're too kind sugah," Robin giggled, blush staining her petite features.

"I try," Herry shrugged as they reached the doors. "Say, since you're new to town and all...well, me and Odie and some of our friends are going to a movie tonight, and I was, uh, wondering if, maybe...you'd like to come with us?"

"Why Ah'd love too, Herry, thank you," she smiled, blonde curls bouncing softly in the breeze. "Shall Ah meet you at the theatre, say, around seven then?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, trying not to shout in victory. She nodded and said goodbye to the boys. Herry waited till she was out of sight before jumping in the air.

"Alright!! She said yes!! Odie, man, I owe you big time!" he cried, sweeping the boy up in a crushing bear hug. Odie laughed chokingly.

"No problem," he wheezed. Soon enough, everyone else, sans Theresa, showed up and they were on their way home. 'Told you so's' were given in abundance when Herry told them Robin's answer, laughter filling the car as it pulled up to the brownstone. Now the only thing left to do was to figure out what to wear.