A Glimpse into the Future (something, 2010-2011?)
'Keira?'
Keira's leg came flying over, making Robin duck with a very un-manly squeak. Zelf, on the other hand, ducked and caught it.
'Keira?' Coming from Zelf this time. He pushed her leg back.
'Sorry, guys,' Keira apologized. 'I was practicing.'
'Oh right,' Robin said. 'Cheerleading, right?' Inwardly, he made a face. He couldn't imagine Keira cheerleading.
She nodded. 'Yeah. I have be top of the pyramid.'
The guys both nodded vaguely, pretending to be even slightly understanding about that statement.
Keira rolled her eyes. 'It's hopeless with you people. Top is hard. And if you fall. . . everybody falls.'
Zelf frowned. 'Isn't that the bottom?'
'Whatever. Hey, Luna!'
Luna appeared, pompoms, tank top and all. Robin made a face, for real this time. He could imagine his sister being a cheerleader even less.
'Stop scrunching up your face, bro. You look ugly. I mean, uglier.' Luna yawned.
'Nyehnyehnyehnyehnyeh,Yovin,nyehnyehnyeah. . .' Robin said in a baby voice.
Luna rolled her eyes and punched him. 'Immature. . . '
'Nyehnyehnyeeeh.'
'So, what are you guys doing here?' said Keira.
'Hmm?' said Zelf. 'Oh. Um. . . Robin wanted to talk to Ms. W.' Ms. W. was the cheerleading supervisor.
'What? Ms. W? Why?'
Robin puffed up his chest slightly. 'I go to cheerleading now!'
'What?' Keira and Luna said at the same time.
'What?! ' Zelf said.
Robin deflated a bit at the looks of his friends. 'Well. . . yeah. Zelf said that I should sign up for more extra-curriculars, so--'
'This isn't what I meant!'
'Let me finish--'
'Wait, hold on a sec. So you're part of the squad now?'
'Not exactly. See--'
'Of course he is. That's what cheerleading is, Keira. You cheerle--wait, what do you mean, "Not exactly?"
'Let me finish.,' Robin said impatiently. 'Thank you (And I don't think "cheerlead" is a verb, Zelf). No, I am not part of the squad, Keira. I'm not that weird. Not a word, Zelf; let me talk. See, I got a job as a popcorn guy.'
'What?'
'I get to eat free popcorn.'
'What?'
'I make popcorn and I get to freaking eat it, Zelf!'
Zelf was quiet for a second. 'But,' he said after a moment. 'That doesn't make any sense.' His face took on a slightly pouty expression, the brightened up. 'Um. . . who gave you this "job", Robin?'
'Ms. W.'
Zelf grinned. 'I think you might be tricked a little. You get to give popcorn to people while--'
'No, I get to eat it.'
Zelf threw up his hands. 'You're making this up.'
'Are not.'
'Are too.'
'Are not!'
'Are too!'
'Are not!'
'Fine! Keira, when's the next cheerleading practice?'
'Thursday, after school.'
Zelf narrowed his eyes. He gave Robin the "I'm watching you" motion while he walked away. 'I'll be there.' (gorge, you would think this was a street fight or something.)
'Nyehnyehnyeh,' Robin muttered under his breath.
Zelf didn't even turn around. 'Immature!'
Robin stuck his tongue out.
'Excuse me, Ms. W?'
The woman turned around. When she saw Zelf, she looked first surprised, then confused, then indignant.
'Now, Mr. Silvermane!' she said, her cheeks turning bright red. 'I booked the gym this time, so whatever cross-country, or soccer, or basketball, or volleyball, or tennis or whatever team you want to have at this time, you can't! I booked it, and this time, it's no, no, no! My cheerleaders! And yes, it is a sport! And that's the end of it, Zelf!'
Zelf winced. Had he actually been in a non-argumentative mind whenever he, well, argued with Ms. W, he would have probably realized that the age-old dispute they had been having sounded extremely childish. As of now, he was realized that and was courteous enough to grace it with a slight blush.
'This isn't about that, actually. I was wondering if. . . um. . . the, er, cheerleading practice?'
Ms. W. regarded him carefully. 'Yes. . . ?'
Zelf took a deep breath and tried not to remind himself of how absurd this statement would sound. '. . . Is Robin in there?'
Ms. W. raised an eyebrow. 'Yes, and?'
He nodded, slightly relieved and slightly (but only slightly) horrified. 'Thank you, Jenna. Have a good day.'
Striding past her, he pretended to ignore her stuttering indignance at him calling her by her first name. Well, she did it often enough, especially when she was angry with him.
'And I don't coach tennis!' he shot back over his shoulder.
He saw Robin at what looked like a popcorn machine. Robin was happily making the popcorn, and then putting it on a little pile on a little table. Then he ate it.
'Robin!'
Robin looked up. 'Hi Zelf!' he said brightly.
'What are you doing?'
Robin frowned slightly. 'Do we have to go over this again?''
Zelf sighed. 'No, good point.'
They were quiet for a second, while Robin calmly sorted out the popcorn. Then Zelf spoke up again.
'Why are there two piles?' There were indeed two piles, one from which Robin was eating from and another, smaller pile that contained only a few kernels.
'That's the bad pile.' Robin pointed to the smaller pile.
Zelf raised an eyebrow. 'How do you know it's bad?'
Robin shrugged. 'Go ahead and try one then.'
Zelf picked up a kernel, examined it carefully, and then ate it. He immediately spat it back out.
Robin made a tutting noise. 'Now, that wasn't very nice now, was it?' he said. 'You'll have to clean that up, Zelf.'
Zelf gave him a dirty look and started wandering around to look for a tissue. 'Stupid princes. . .' he muttered under his breath, so Robin couldn't hear.
Keira's leg came flying over, making Robin duck with a very un-manly squeak. Zelf, on the other hand, ducked and caught it.
'Keira?' Coming from Zelf this time. He pushed her leg back.
'Sorry, guys,' Keira apologized. 'I was practicing.'
'Oh right,' Robin said. 'Cheerleading, right?' Inwardly, he made a face. He couldn't imagine Keira cheerleading.
She nodded. 'Yeah. I have be top of the pyramid.'
The guys both nodded vaguely, pretending to be even slightly understanding about that statement.
Keira rolled her eyes. 'It's hopeless with you people. Top is hard. And if you fall. . . everybody falls.'
Zelf frowned. 'Isn't that the bottom?'
'Whatever. Hey, Luna!'
Luna appeared, pompoms, tank top and all. Robin made a face, for real this time. He could imagine his sister being a cheerleader even less.
'Stop scrunching up your face, bro. You look ugly. I mean, uglier.' Luna yawned.
'Nyehnyehnyehnyehnyeh,Yovin,nyehnyehnyeah. . .' Robin said in a baby voice.
Luna rolled her eyes and punched him. 'Immature. . . '
'Nyehnyehnyeeeh.'
'So, what are you guys doing here?' said Keira.
'Hmm?' said Zelf. 'Oh. Um. . . Robin wanted to talk to Ms. W.' Ms. W. was the cheerleading supervisor.
'What? Ms. W? Why?'
Robin puffed up his chest slightly. 'I go to cheerleading now!'
'What?' Keira and Luna said at the same time.
'What?! ' Zelf said.
Robin deflated a bit at the looks of his friends. 'Well. . . yeah. Zelf said that I should sign up for more extra-curriculars, so--'
'This isn't what I meant!'
'Let me finish--'
'Wait, hold on a sec. So you're part of the squad now?'
'Not exactly. See--'
'Of course he is. That's what cheerleading is, Keira. You cheerle--wait, what do you mean, "Not exactly?"
'Let me finish.,' Robin said impatiently. 'Thank you (And I don't think "cheerlead" is a verb, Zelf). No, I am not part of the squad, Keira. I'm not that weird. Not a word, Zelf; let me talk. See, I got a job as a popcorn guy.'
'What?'
'I get to eat free popcorn.'
'What?'
'I make popcorn and I get to freaking eat it, Zelf!'
Zelf was quiet for a second. 'But,' he said after a moment. 'That doesn't make any sense.' His face took on a slightly pouty expression, the brightened up. 'Um. . . who gave you this "job", Robin?'
'Ms. W.'
Zelf grinned. 'I think you might be tricked a little. You get to give popcorn to people while--'
'No, I get to eat it.'
Zelf threw up his hands. 'You're making this up.'
'Are not.'
'Are too.'
'Are not!'
'Are too!'
'Are not!'
'Fine! Keira, when's the next cheerleading practice?'
'Thursday, after school.'
Zelf narrowed his eyes. He gave Robin the "I'm watching you" motion while he walked away. 'I'll be there.' (gorge, you would think this was a street fight or something.)
'Nyehnyehnyeh,' Robin muttered under his breath.
Zelf didn't even turn around. 'Immature!'
Robin stuck his tongue out.
'Excuse me, Ms. W?'
The woman turned around. When she saw Zelf, she looked first surprised, then confused, then indignant.
'Now, Mr. Silvermane!' she said, her cheeks turning bright red. 'I booked the gym this time, so whatever cross-country, or soccer, or basketball, or volleyball, or tennis or whatever team you want to have at this time, you can't! I booked it, and this time, it's no, no, no! My cheerleaders! And yes, it is a sport! And that's the end of it, Zelf!'
Zelf winced. Had he actually been in a non-argumentative mind whenever he, well, argued with Ms. W, he would have probably realized that the age-old dispute they had been having sounded extremely childish. As of now, he was realized that and was courteous enough to grace it with a slight blush.
'This isn't about that, actually. I was wondering if. . . um. . . the, er, cheerleading practice?'
Ms. W. regarded him carefully. 'Yes. . . ?'
Zelf took a deep breath and tried not to remind himself of how absurd this statement would sound. '. . . Is Robin in there?'
Ms. W. raised an eyebrow. 'Yes, and?'
He nodded, slightly relieved and slightly (but only slightly) horrified. 'Thank you, Jenna. Have a good day.'
Striding past her, he pretended to ignore her stuttering indignance at him calling her by her first name. Well, she did it often enough, especially when she was angry with him.
'And I don't coach tennis!' he shot back over his shoulder.
He saw Robin at what looked like a popcorn machine. Robin was happily making the popcorn, and then putting it on a little pile on a little table. Then he ate it.
'Robin!'
Robin looked up. 'Hi Zelf!' he said brightly.
'What are you doing?'
Robin frowned slightly. 'Do we have to go over this again?''
Zelf sighed. 'No, good point.'
They were quiet for a second, while Robin calmly sorted out the popcorn. Then Zelf spoke up again.
'Why are there two piles?' There were indeed two piles, one from which Robin was eating from and another, smaller pile that contained only a few kernels.
'That's the bad pile.' Robin pointed to the smaller pile.
Zelf raised an eyebrow. 'How do you know it's bad?'
Robin shrugged. 'Go ahead and try one then.'
Zelf picked up a kernel, examined it carefully, and then ate it. He immediately spat it back out.
Robin made a tutting noise. 'Now, that wasn't very nice now, was it?' he said. 'You'll have to clean that up, Zelf.'
Zelf gave him a dirty look and started wandering around to look for a tissue. 'Stupid princes. . .' he muttered under his breath, so Robin couldn't hear.