Breaking News: Eighth Graders Can Fight!

Teammates and Try-outs

Belle tapped her pencil on the end of the table impatiently, listening to Rosa make marks on the list for the third time that afternoon.

"Yep, that's what I thought."

Belle threw her head back with a groan. "Team member short?"

"Two team members short." The Botany teacher put her chin in her hand. "I don't understand why kids don't want to brawl anymore."

Belle shot Rosa a deadpan look. "Yeah, not like it's a death-defying sport surrounded by hatred because society sucks."

"Don't be so negative. We'll figure something out."

The women sat in silence for a minute before Belle chuckled.

"Dammit. We should've held Brock and Shelly back a year."

Rosa laughed loudly. "Just hold them back until we get some middle school kids who want to try out?" Belle snorted, which morphed into a full laugh.

Suddenly, silence settled over them as they both came to the same conclusion.

"Pam Junker's kid is in eighth grade-"

"We have the student population to pull kids from the eighth grade-"

They looked at each other and donned matching grins.

"Rosa, my friend, I think we need to reopen tryouts."

<><><><><><><><><>

"Penny! Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny!" Jessie shouted, skidding to a halt next to the cafeteria table Penny was seated at. The pink-haired girl glared up at her.

"The fuck you want?"

"Don't swear! You wanna try out for the Brawl team?" Jessie asked, a slightly maniacal glint in her eye.

"Duh. Next year though."

"What about this year?"

Penny set down her sandwich. "I'm listening."

"To what? Jessie going crazy again?" A voice asked. Meg slid into the seat next to Penny, pulling out her lunchbox as she did so.

"We can join the brawl team this year!"

"You're kidding."

"Nope!" Jessie pulled a small square of paper out of her backpack, then unfolded it into a large square of paper.

"Did you deadass steal that off the-"

"Language, Penny! Anyways, look! They're letting eighth graders into the second day of tryouts!" Jessie exclaimed, slamming the poster down on the table and sending Meg's spoon flying.

"Wait, seriously? Bloody barnacles, that's so cool!" Penny said, ignoring Meg's soft "My spoon."

"After school today! You guys free?" Jessie asked.

"Fuck yeah!"

Both girls looked to Meg, who was wiping off her spoon with the end of her sleeve. She looked up and glanced between her friends.

"What are we doing?"

<><><><><><><>

A group of girls sat in the stands at the local brawl arena, seemingly waiting for something to happen. A redhead was pouring over a book with a Japanese girl leaning on her back. A different redhead was pointing things out in a book to a darker-skinned girl wearing a hoodie with a bear design on the front. A blond girl was helping an antsy classmate with her homework while still managing to keep up a conversation with a purple-haired girl and one wearing a baby blue turtleneck. After a while, the Japanese girl groaned.