𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 - greenhouse academy

1

"Alrighty Ravens, rise and shine! It's Recruitment Day!" Elizabeth sing-songly announced as she strolled out of the lockers and into the Clubhouse. 

"Jesus Ellis, it's like 8 in the morning. On a Saturday," Leo exasperatedly sighed, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes as he picked up his guitar. 

Betty rolled her eyes. "Cheer up Captain Leo," she teased. "Who knows, maybe you'll actually have some fun today. I mean, you do get to torture the applicants so...," she trailed off with a shrug.

Leo sighed. "Yeah, I guess. You're still helping, right?".

"I would not miss it for the world," Betty winked as she strolled out of the clubhouse. As she rounded the corner, she saw the backs of Parker and Daniel mid-conversation.

"-but remember, there's only one spot on the Eagles," Daniel hushed.

"Don't pressure me, man," an unfamiliar voice warned. 

"There's no pressure, Tyler. We just want you on our team, that's all," Parker reassured.

"Yeah, but I told you guys I'm bad at taking tests," 'Tyler' expressed.

"Don't worry about that, alright. We got you all the answers right here," Parker states, holding out a folded piece of paper. 

Parker and Daniel quickly turned around when they heard slow claps.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Betty chided. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you two were cheating,". 

"Betty! It's really not what you think, I swear-" Daniel defended.

"I'm just kidding. I don't really care what happens to the Eagles this year. In all honesty, I think it would be really cool if Tyler got into the Greenhouse," Betty said with fake sincerity. 

Parker rolled his eyes as he turned back to Tyler and handed over the answers. 

"You can copy, can't you?" Daniel asked. Tyler nodded his head. "And you're sure none of the Ravens noticed you hacked into their server?".

Parker nodded. "Aside from Betty, of course. No one else saw me,". Betty snickered quietly. Oh if only they knew. 

"Good, good," Daniel shifted his attention. "Alright Tyler, we are counting on you to get into the Greenhouse so we can beat Whitney this year,". Nods were exchanged, and Tyler turned to head off.

"Tyler! The exam hall is that way," Betty called out. 

Tyler turned his head and looked down sheepishly. "Right," he grimaced. 

Parker and Daniel looked at each other as Betty giggled at Tyler. "Well, we should be off to help welcome the applicants," Betty said as she slung her arms over their shoulders, steering them down the hallway. 

___

The three stood in the foyer of the Greenhouse, as Parker and Betty carelessly passed his basketball to each other.  

"I wonder how many new Ravens there will be this year," Betty wondered aloud. 

Daniel shrugged. "Beats me,". Betty rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" someone called out. "Hi, you're Daniel Hayward! Uh, I just wanted to let you know that I'm a huge fan. I'm trying out for the Eagles too. I'm a shooting guard, and I've learned everything by watching you play. I'm Alex,". Betty's head shot up at the name. She recognized the voice and the name before. 

"Yeah, cool," Daniel responded before turning his attention back to Parker and Betty. 

Just then, the announcement reporting the start of the exam rang out, which snapped Betty's head up again. 

"Shit! I've gotta go, I promised Leo I would help him today!" Betty said. "That's my cue, I'll see you two later. And good luck Alex!" Betty called as she ran down the hallway. 

___

"The following exam is an SAT test identical to the one given to college applicants who are a few years older than you. They have two and a half hours to finish it. You will only have forty-five minutes. Mark your answers with the stylus attached to the tablet, we will have your results as soon as you are finished," Suzanne explained. "Once you have finished the written test, you will take the mandatory physical exam for the Eagles, or the computer science exam for the Ravens,". 

"Now, anyone can take the SAT under quiet conditions, however, we're looking for students who can focus under... less than ideal circumstances. I'd like you to meet Leo Cruz, captain of the Ravens, and Elizabeth Ellis, also a Raven,". Alex's head shot up at the name as the two waved at the group of students. "They've agreed to play for you while you take the test. Good luck," Suzanne told the students as she walked to her desk and put in her earplugs.

Leo hooked up his guitar to his amp as Betty sat down at the drum set. Betty gave a little 'one two three four!' with her drumsticks, and the torture commenced. 

After half an hour, Betty stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom," she told Leo, as she walked out of the room. Alex's eyes followed her right out the door.

Betty ran into Sophie and Brooke in the bathroom, and they began to chat about their days. 

"-that your first answer is usually the right answer and so..." the boy who walked into the bathroom trailed off. "Mommy, I'm going to have to call you back,".

"He must be trying out for the Eagles, don't you think, Soph?" Brooke teased.

"Yeah, I mean look at him, classic Eagle material," Sophie responded as Betty rolled her eyes. 

"Actually no, I'm trying out for the Ravens, I'm not very athletic," the poor boy responded. 

Brooke and Sophie feigned shock as Betty rolled her eyes again. "The men's room is just next door," Betty offered kindly. 

The boy nodded his head as he scurried out of the bathroom.  "Say hi to mommy for me!" Brooke teased as the girls snickered. 

The girls giggled once again as they pouted their lips. "He's so cute, with his little backpack," Sophie did the hand motions as they cooed.

___

Betty opened the door to the exam room as loudly as she possibly could and walked over to Leo.

"Aw, man! How long was I gone for?" Betty pouted. 

"Pretty much for the rest of the exam," Leo responded as he packed his guitar away. 

Betty sulked as the two of the walked out of the exam room. 

As they rounded the corner, Betty could've sworn she heard someone whisper "That's them,". She shrugged it off as she continued walking. 

"So what happened when I was gone?" Betty asked.

Leo shrugged. "Some girl came up and unplugged my guitar. Y'know, the usual,".

Betty barked out a laugh. "She actually unplugged your guitar? What did Suzanne do?"

Leo shrugged again. "She let her finish the test,".

Betty hummed in understanding. She gave Leo a confused look when he turned towards the fieldhouse and not the clubhouse. "Where are you going?"

"I wanna watch the Eagles tryouts. I want to know what we're up against this year," Leo responded.

Betty sighed with a laugh. "Always the competitive one," she teased. 

"You coming?" Leo asked with an eye roll.

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed as she caught up with him. Betty smirked. "Race ya!" she called out as she shoved Leo to get a head start. 

Leo scrambled off the ground and stole another glance at Betty, his arm still burning from where she touched him. He paused as he took a deep breath to calm his heart and took off after her.